Broken
by Baxxie
Summary: He hates them with every fiber of his being. They need to feel it, all of them. Soon, they are all in his grasp. He unleashes his sick games on them, one by one. How long can they last before they are all broken? Rated M for dark themes...
1. Chapter 1 Show Time

**Since I am starting off slow, I have changed the rating back to T. It might go up later, because of mature themes coming up. But for now, T rating it is. **

**Again, thank you to the people already reading and reviewing, but I still chose to do a rewrite, because I didn't really like the way it was going. So here is the new version of Broken. I am not going to give any more warnings or whatever, you'll just have to wait and see what happens ;) **

Chapter 1 Show Time…

"Come on, guys… please can we go to the new arcade?" Carlos pleads, putting on his best pouting face to his friends.

"For the third time, no, Carlos. I am going to work on my science project, which is due tomorrow. Shouldn't you finish that too?" Logan points at the empty red board belonging to Carlos.

Carlos waves it off. "There's plenty of time for that after the arcade."

"Well, maybe you don't care about ever finishing high school, but I am actually looking forward to graduating in two years." Carlos rolls his eyes.

"James?" The pretty boy doesn't even look up from the mirror he is holding and keeps on combing his hair.

"Sorry, Carlitos, but I have a date." He jumps up from the couch, still holding on to the mirror tightly.

"With whom?"

"Don't know yet, but I know it'll be awesome."

"Kendall…" Carlos whines, clasping his hands together and practically begging. Kendall raises his eyebrows.

"Sorry, buddy. But I have a Real date today, with Jo." James glares at him for the date comment.

"Whatever Kendall, you know I could get any girl here in Palm Woods. All I have to do is ask her out and she'll fall head over heals for me."

"Ha! That I'd like to see."

"Alright, let's head to the pool and I'll show you."

"You're on!" Kendall yells as he follows James out of the apartment.

"But guys…" Carlos pouts as he watches them leave. He turns towards the couch, where Logan was sitting, only to find that it's now empty. "Logan?" He calls out, just in time to hear the bedroom door close. He sighs.

"Fine. I'll just go by myself then! You don't know what you'll be missing!" He waits for a response, but never receives one. "Last chance to play games at the most awesome arcade ever! I'm leaving now…"

"Ugh, fine. Whatever. I don't need you, I'll have enough fun all by myself!" He heads out the door and slams it shut behind it. He grumbles under his breath as he heads out of Palm Woods.

"Stupid friends. Always busy with their girlfriends and school. Who needs them? Good riddance.." He keeps grumbling with his arms crossed as he walks through the lobby. He doesn't look at his surroundings and so never even notices the girl he bumps into and who is now covered in an orange smoothie.

He keeps walking and heads outside.

_Somewhere in a dark room…_

A man sits in the shadows. A faint glow appears on his scarred face as he watches four monitors in front of him. He stares at the four figures with interest. But the moment he sees one of them head out the door, a large evil grin appears on his face.

He picks up the phone sitting next to him.

"Get ready boys, it's show time…"

_Two hours later…_

"I finished my project!" Logan says with a big smile as he heads out of the bedroom with his green board ready. He's surprised to find the apartment empty.

"Huh, I guess Carlos really did go to the arcade by himself." Then he puts on a grin and grabs one of his favorite books and plops down on the couch, finally the chance to read in peace. The moment doesn't last long when the door opens, revealing two friends bickering.

"The bet was, you could make any girl fall head over heals for you and you lost!"

"I did not lose, Kendall. It's not my fault that I already dated all the girls that were there."

"It still didn't give you the right to screw up my date!"

"I was bored, so sue me."

"You could have called Carlos. I'm sure he would have loved to have gone to the arcade instead of me. That way, I would still be on my date with Jo and Carlos wouldn't be sulking on the couch. Oh. Hi, Logan." Logan just waves at his friends as they plop down next to him. "Where's Carlos?"

"Don't know. I remember him yelling something about going to the arcade by himself."

"Really? We just came from there. I didn't see him." Logan rolls his eyes as James grabs his book out of his hands. "Whatcha doing?"

"I was trying to read, before you idiots destroyed the peace and quiet." Logan grabs the book back quickly.

"Well, sorry." James puts his hands up, then puts his feet on the table and turns on the TV. "Anyone know what's for dinner?"

"Uh, is anyone else a little worried that Carlos wasn't at the arcade?"

The other two guys shrug and turn their attention on the TV, stretching out their long legs on the coffee table.

"Nah. I'm sure he's fine."

Then they share a grin, before putting their arms on top of Logan's head. He groans.

"I gotta get new friends…"

_Somewhere in a dark place…_

A figure lies on a cold floor. The only light visible comes from a small light bulb in the hallway. It illuminates the steel bars that surround the area the small figure lies in. Water is heard dripping slowly from a leak in the roof.

A small bench is held up by chains on the wall in the right corner. More chains hang off the wall, making the space seem like an old dungeon of some sort.

The figure slowly starts to groan. His normally white sneakers are dirty with mud still hanging on the bottom. His jeans are ripped in the middle, revealing a bloody, scraped knee.

His purple, striped hoodie is covered in dark stains. He slowly moves, but groans and winces as he feels the numerous bruises his body is covered in already. He still tries his best to move up, but then quickly puts a hand to his head. He hisses as he touches a tender spot. He then brings his hand down, not surprised to see it covered in blood.

He looks around the room with his dark brown eyes growing wide. He blinks heavily as the room spins momentarily. He eases himself up into a sitting position, wincing as he bends his bruised knee.

His innocent brown eyes become scared when he finds himself all alone, surrounded by bars, with no recollection of what happened.

"Guys?" he whispers with a whimper, before pulling his knees to his chest.

**There we go. Now the people who read it, already know what happened and who this is, but still. I'm trying to change the story around with more suspense. I hope you all like it.**

**All the guys will be featured here, just like in Big Time Bonding, this is just a very different story, with still a lot of whumpage ;)**

**Let me know what you think!**

**Love, Baxxie**


	2. Chapter 2 Joined

Chapter 2 Joined

The guys are still sitting on the couch watching TV when the phone rings.

"I'll get it." Kendall calls out as he gets up and picks up the receiver.

"Hello? Oh, hey mom. Uh, ok, yeah, no, that's fine. We'll just get pizza or something. Did I say pizza? I meant, we'll make a salad, yeah, that's what I meant. Okay, mom, see you later. Yes, I love you too. Bye." He flops back on the couch, going right back to watching TV, not even noticing his friends staring at him.

"So? What did she say?" He suddenly notices both his friends waiting impatiently for him to start talking.

"Oh. Uh, mom and Katie won't be getting home until really late tonight. Apparently the people from that commercial liked Katie, but they want to see her alone. They're afraid she'll hurt the other kids if they don't." The guys chuckle. "But they won't be home for dinner."

"Okay. So we're getting pizza?"

"Yep." James cheers as he jumps off the couch and grabs the phone.

"What are you doing?" Kendall questions.

"I'm ordering pizza, duh."

"Don't you think it's a little early?"

"It's already 7, Kendall."

"What?" Kendall and Logan look at the clock, their eyes widening.

"So we've been watching TV for like four hours?"

"I guess."

"Uh, guys?" James and Kendall look at Logan. "You do realize Carlos still isn't back yet, right? I mean, it's already past dinner time and he isn't here."

The other two exchange a look. James puts the phone down and walks back to the couch.

"Maybe he found a food court inside the arcade."

"Which you don't remember seeing him at." James looks down guiltily.

"Oh, right."

"Oh my god… We're horrible friends.. Here we are just watching TV while our friend is missing.."

"He's not missing, Logan." Logan glares at him. "Okay, maybe he's missing. But I'm sure we can find him. I mean, this is Carlos. He probably just got lost or something."

"Yeah, maybe he just fell in the well again and can't get out." The guys shoot James a look and within seconds they have al ran out the door.

"I can't believe we didn't even notice he still wasn't back. No wonder it was so quiet all of a sudden…"

"Yeah, I mean, normally I can't get any homework done, because he keeps distracting me. I guess I just liked the peace and quiet so much, I didn't think about it." Kendall puts his arm around his smaller friend.

"It's not your fault, Logan. None of us noticed." He looks at his friends and sees how worried they are. "Guys, relax. We'll find him. Everything will be fine. Trust me."

They run all through Palm Woods, cover all the places he normally would be, but don't find any sign of him. The boys meet up again at the Palm Woods well, where they met Jordan Sparks just a few months ago. They're all panting as they ran as fast as they could.

"Anything?" James asks. The others shake their heads.

"Damn it!" Logan yells, kicking a rock, before sitting down in the grass. The other two share a look, they've never heard Logan swear before. "We should have looked at the time. No, actually, we should have gone looking the minute you said you didn't see him at the arcade. Now we could be anywhere. Lost, hurt, alone.."

Kendall sits next to him on the grass. "It's going to be fine, Logan. We'll find him, don't worry."

Suddenly James gets an idea. He puts his hand in his pocket and feels around for a moment, before cheering. He pulls out a small penny. The other two look at him in confusion.

He holds the penny between his fingers and kisses it, before closing his eyes.

"Please wishing well, help us find Carlitos." He pleads, before throwing it into the well. He waits for a PING sound to hear it hit the bottom. But instead he hears a small THUD. He opens his eyes and looks down the well. Just then he gasps. He leans up and the other guys worriedly see his face grow pale.

"In the well.. there's.." he can make out, before Kendall hurries up and looks down as well.

"Oh my god.. Is that?" Logan comes up behind them.

"What? What is it?" He asks, shoving them inside to take a look of his own. He gasps.

There at the bottom of the well they can clearly see a black helmet shining amongst all the pennies on the ground. But what's more disturbing is the red glow that it seems to have taken on.

"Please don't tell me that's Carlos' helmet…" Logan whispers.

"Who else owns a black hockey helmet like that? It has to be his.." James exclaims.

"Oh god… I knew it.. I knew he didn't just get distracted… I should have knows something was wrong when he didn't go to the arcade.."

"Logan, calm down." Kendall grabs his shoulders, making him look up at him. "It's going to be fine."

"How can you still say that? You've told me that three times now. But we can't find him anywhere, no one has seen him since he left the apartment this afternoon and now we fid his helmet on the bottom of the well with which I'm pretty sure is blood on it!" James steps back a little from Logan's outburst.

"We'll find him, Logan. Together we can fix this."

"Really, Kendall? So where is he, huh? How can we fix this? He could be hurt. No, I know he's hurt. He might even be laying dead somewhere!"

"Logan, stop! What has gotten into you?"

"He got hurt because we weren't paying attention. Because I wasn't paying attention.. He begged me to go to the arcade with him, but I wanted to work on my science project.."

"Logan, we all turned him down. This isn't your fault." James adds. Logan sighs.

"How are we going to find him?"

"I know where to find him." A voce suddenly mentions from behind them. They turn around, but don't see anyone.

"Who said that?" Kendall asks, stepping in front of his other friends.

"I did." Their eyes widen as they see a strange man walking up to them. He is thin, about Kendall's height, with platinum blond short hair. He wears fashionable glasses and a very strange smile is directed at the guys as he walks closer to them.

"Who are you?"

"We'll have plenty of time for that later. Now weren't you wondering where your friend is?"

"You know where he is? What did you do to him?" The man suddenly starts to laugh.

"Oh, Kendall. Always so protective of your friends. The boss really described you perfectly. I have to say it is an honor to meet you all. And to answer your question, yes. I do know where your friend is. Would you like me to take you to him?"

James wants to step forward, but Kendall pushes him behind him. "Not until you tell us who you are."

"Hm. You know, I really didn't want to do this the hard way. But you really aren't giving me a choice. You'd rather put up a fight, just like your young friend."

"If you hurt him, I swear.." James wants to lunge at the guy, but Kendall arm on his chest is still stopping him.

"James, so feisty. You're all so protective of him. Why is that, I wonder? Oh, well. We'll have plenty of time to figure it out, I suppose. Now, grab them." Suddenly, from out of nowhere, three huge guys almost as big as Freight Train show up behind them.

"What's going on?"

"Like I said. I tried to do this the easy way. But you will go and see your friend, whether you cooperate or not. Goodbye now." The last thing the boys see is the strange man waving at them with an evil grin before everything goes dark.

_**Yep, this is much more the way I had in mind. What did you all think?**_

_**Not going to say much else about the story, you'll have to keep reading and reviewing to find out more ;)**_

_**Thanks for the support and until soon!**_

_**Love, Baxxie**_


	3. Chapter 3 No Matter What

Chapter 3 No Matter What

The first one to wake up is Logan. He groans as he slowly opens his eyes and sits up.

"What the…" He says as he sees the room they're in. He moves back and jumps as he suddenly bumps into something.

"Ugh… What's going on?" Kendall's voice comes from behind him. Logan turns around to face him and slowly helps him sit upright. "Where are we?" he asks as he too looks around.

"I think we're in some kind of cell."

"Oh, I feel nauseous… " James's voice sounds from their left side. They look at him with sympathy. "What happened?"

"Not sure. Either those guys sedated us or they ran us over with a truck." Logan replies with a groan.

"I'll go with the second one…" James agrees as he moves to sit against the wall behind them. He shrieks when he bumps into something. The others scream with him as he startles them.

James looks behind him, but the object is hidden from view in the dark. He moves closer and holds out his hand. He inches it closer and closer, until he feels something. He pokes it and shrieks, falling backwards as a loud moan is heard.

Logan sits up with wide eyes as he hears the moan elicited from the object in the dark.

"Carlos?" The other guys look at each other with wide eyes. Logan moves closer and holds out his hand much like James did before. But he is gentler. The moment the touches something, he feels around and the notices the dark blanket covering the figure and hiding him from their view. He pulls on it.

The guys gasp as they recognize their friend. They stare in worry at his ripped jeans and his clothes covered in dirt. Numerous dark bruises stand out against his caramel skin as the glow from the light bulb in the hallway shines a faint light on his face. His face is buried in his arms that are around his pulled up knees.

"Carlos?" Logan asks again in a gentle voice. He edges closer and puts a hand on his back. Another moan is elicited from their friend, but this time he slowly moves around. He pulls up his head, like it's the heaviest thing in the world and looks at them through half lidded eyes.

More bruises are evident on his face. His left cheek is blue and swollen, he has a split lip and there is dried blood on the side of his head.

"Guys? You came.." He smiles lazily. "You came to get me out.."

The guys share looks with one and other. Kendall smiles, but his eyes look like he's about to cry at the sight of their youngest brother so hurt.

"We're here, Carlos. We're here."

The smallest member of their group suddenly frowns. "But wait.. If you came to get me out, why are we all behind the bars? Is this part of the plan, Kendall?"

Kendall doesn't know where to look or what to tell his friend. There is so much hope in his eyes, he doesn't have the heart to tell him the truth. He tries to open his mouth to reply to his friend, but James beats him to it.

"Don't worry, Carlos. We're all here now, we'll get out soon. Right, Kendall?" Kendall flashes him a look of gratitude.

"But you're not supposed to be in here… You'll get hurt too…" His voice sounds so small, it reminds them of a young child. All three friends feel the desperate need to protect their friend from the bad things in life. But none of them know what to say right now. So, they do the next best thing.

Soon, Carlos finds himself engulfed into a hug by three pairs of arms, gently trying to reassure him that everything will be fine.

"Aww, that is so sweet." The three spring apart as they hear the strange man's voice again behind them. They see him standing in front of the bars with that same evil smile on his face. "Your friendship is so touching to me. To all of us really. It makes me feel almost guilty for separating you."

The guys share looks of anxiety.

"What do you mean?" The man smirks.

"Well, I can't keep you all together like this. It would never work. No, I have special projects set up for each of you. If I let you stay together, we'd never get done. You'd all try to fight me and my friends and it would just take too long."

Carlos pulls his knees closer to his chest. Logan pulls him close to him and feels the boy's form trembling. He shares a look with James.

"What do you want from us anyway? Why are we here?"

"Kendall, you ask so many questions… The boss didn't inform me that you would. But I suppose you have a right to know. Hm, too bad I don't make the decisions around here. I can tell you one thing. I mean, I know all of you, some better than others…" He winks at Carlos, who tries to crawl inside the wall. Logan just hugs him closer, ignoring the wincing of his young friend as he touches his bruises. Kendall and James take stand in front of their smaller friends. "And so it is only fair that you get to know me as well. My name is Shane. I am 38 and very much single."

The guys look disgusted at the smile he gives them.

"Look, we don't care about any of that. Just tell us what you want and when you're going to let us go."

Shane steps closer to the bars. "Let you go?" He chuckles. "My dear James. I may not be able to tell you why you're here and what will happen to you. But I can promise you, I am not letting you go. Ever." He starts to laugh again, louder, harder.

He calms down after a short while. "Oh, wow, you almost had me there. Let you go, and I thought Carlos was the funny one. Ha! Good one…" He wipes tears from his cheeks. "No, but seriously. I suggest you relax a little. Because in an hour or so it's time to put up the first project. Should I tell you who gets to go first?"

He looks around at Kendall and James, who just glare and still hold protective stances. He moves his eyes towards Logan, who glares as well, while holding Carlos close. Carlos himself has his head down and is trying to avoid his gaze.

"Maybe I should start with Carlos. He's always been my favorite, and I feel like I need to make amends here. I mean, he's so upset with me, he won't even look me in the eye." James and Kendall step closer.

"You leave Carlos alone. You can take me, I don't care what you do, but you've hurt Carlos enough. You're not going anywhere near him."

"I love your protectiveness, Kendall. But you need to realize that you're all going to get your turns, whether you like it or not. And you're right, Carlos did get hurt. So, I will leave him to rest some more. For now. But you can't protect each other in here. You'll figure that out soon enough. Rest up now, I'll be back later to pick up one of you." He walks away midsentence, leaving the guys to stare after him.

"We have to get out of here.." James tells his friends, looking at Logan who nods, while still holding a shaking Carlos in his arms.

"Kendall? Do you have a plan?" When he doesn't receive an answer, James walks closer to his friend.

Kendall's hands are balling into fists, he's gritting his teeth as he keeps staring in the direction the guy went in. He wants to punch him. For taking them, for the creepy smile he keeps giving them, for hurting Carlos.. He needs to punch something…

"Kendall?" James asks quietly. He puts a hand on Kendall's back and jumps back in shock as Kendall whips around angrily.

"What?" His look immediately turns to guilt when he sees James' shocked face. "Oh, I'm sorry James.. That guy.. He just makes me so angry!" he balls his fists again and then kicks the bars.

"I know, man, I know. Let's just go sit down, alright? Come on." He gently pulls Kendall with him to their smaller friends and they slowly sit down. Carlos has his head in his arms again, gently rocking back and forth.

"How is he?" Logan sighs.

"Carlos?" Carlos doesn't look up. "Carlos?" He calls a little louder now.

The guys hear a mumbled "no" from their friend as he shakes his head. Then he suddenly lifts his head, his eyes big and frightened, like a small child.

"We have to get out of here… I don't want to do any projects…"

"It's okay, Carlos. You won't have to do any. I promise." Kendall pats his arm with a smile.

"But your heard him, all of us are getting a turn. I-I don't want a turn, Kendall. He freaks me out.. He winked at me!" Kendall bites his lip.

"It'll be alright, buddy. We'll get out. We're all together now, and we'll stick together. No matter what, remember?" Carlos looks down. "Hey. Look at me." James puts a hand under his chin, making him look him in the eye. "No matter what."

Carlos slowly nods.

"Alright. So next time he comes in here, we all stick together. We're not letting anyone go out by himself. And we're not letting him get to us, we're staying strong. No matter what, okay?" Kendall suggests and he holds his hand out.

A second hand is placed on top of his. He looks up to see Logan smile at him.

"No matter what." Kendall nods and smiles. Then they both look at the other two.

"No matter what." James ads, putting a third hand on the pile.

"Carlos?" He looks scared, but then holds out his shaking hand and puts it on the pile.

"No matter what." He whispers, trying a small smile, but not really getting there.

_An hour later…_

The boys are still sitting on the floor. Kendall and Logan are watching with amused grins as James is trying to play 21 questions with a very reluctant Carlos.

"Okay, next question."

"Are you handsome?"

"Yes."

"Is it you?"

"Nope, try again."

"Is it Bandanaman?" James gasps.

"How did you guess?" Carlos groans.

"Everytime we play this game, you either pick yourself or 'bandanaman'." James pouts a little.

"I don't do that all the time."

"Yes, you do."

"Alright fine, you play."

"I don't want to."

"Come on, Carlos…"

"No!"

"Okay, I'll play. Again." Carlos shakes his head.

"Is it you?"

"I just… Okay fine, I just can't think of anyone else, alright?"

"yeah, there's a shocker." Carlos says under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." He recovers quickly. He sits up, wincing when he moves his knee too fast.

"You know, I still think you should let me take a look. You don't want to develop an infection."

"You won't be able to do anything anyway after you looked at it, Logan. So why bother?"

The guys share worried glances at the careless attitude their youngest friend seems to have taken on.

"carlos, are you okay?" He raises his eyebrows at Kendall.

"Am I okay? Uh, let's see. I am locked up in a cell, my whole body hurts, I feel nauseous, there is a guy holding us who keeps giving us creepy smiles and who seems to have a thing for me in particular and there is no way we're getting out, because we don't know where we are. No, I don't think I am okay, Kendall."

"At least we're together?" James offers. Carlos turns towards him and chuckles, shaking his head. James shoots a questioning look at the others, who shrug. "Carlos?"

He stops laughing and looks down at his hands. "No, you're right. We are here together. I guess I should be happy about that… When I first woke up here alone, I was so scared.. I wasn't sure I'd ever see you guys again. So yeah, maybe you being here is a good thing."

"So, you feel better now?" Logan asks, looking uncertain.

"Yeah, Logie. I guess I do. But I'd feel a lot better if we had a plan to get out of here.." They all look at Kendall. He looks at them in surprise. He's about to say something, when a door creaks in the hallway. They turn their hands towards the sound. Kendall and James immediately share a look and stand up. Logan and Carlos sit close together again.

Shane comes to stand in front of the bars with his big friends standing behind him, all wearing a smile.

"It's time." Shane says in a singsong voice. He jingles a set of keys in front of the bars before moving his hands to the lock. He opens the door with a clang and steps inside. James and Kendall both ball their fists, keeping a look on their younger friends on the ground.

"Hm, who would like to go first?" He moves his eyes over all four guys again, smiling wider when Carlos starts to shake again. He points his finger and moves it over all of them. "How about you." He says as he points a finger at James.

James eyes widen. "Me?" But then, he remembers his friends on the ground and he changes his face to stand strong again. "Yeah, alright. Bring it on."

"No. Take me." Kendall steps forward and in between Shane and James. "If you need to take any of us, take me."

"That is so noble of you, Kendall. But you see, you;" One of the big guys walks over and knees him in the gut, making him double over in pain. "don't get to make th decisions around here." Shane tells him, getting close to his face and even patting it with his hand. He then turns around, his back to the boys. "Grab the pretty one. We'll be back later for the next one." Two of the guys walk up to James and grab him, while Kendall sits on his knees. He tries to get up and reach out for his friend, but the last big guy left grabs him around his middle with one hand, while the other pulls on his hair hard. He winces.

"Kendall!" Carlos and Logan cry out. The big guy pretends to jump towards the two and they back up against the wall. He smiles evilly, before turning his attention back to Kendall.

"James!" He cries out, but he can only watch as James struggles in the two pairs of strong arms as they lead him down the hall. His big, scared eyes meet Kendall's worried ones. The guy lets go of Kendall and shuts the door with a clang. Kendall runs to the bars and clings to them. "James!" He leans his head on the bars and kicks them. "Damn it…"

"Kendall?" Carlos' small voice brings him out of his daze and he turns around. He heads for his friends and slides down the wall on Carlos' right side. He puts an arm around his friend as well. Carlos leans his head against him and he exchanges a look with Logan. They need to do something, fast…

_**And all up to date again! I actually need to go to sleep now, have an early morning tomorrow again. Don't feel like it, I just want to keep on writing now. But maybe this is enough for today ;)**_

_**Let me know what you think, I'll try to update again soon!**_

_**Love, Baxxie**_


	4. Chapter 4 Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Chapter 4 Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

James struggles within the grasp of the two muscular men, dragging him down a long corridor.

"Where are you taking me?" He yells as he keeps struggling. Their grip just tightens on his arms, making him scream out in pain. "Hey! Watch it, I worked hard on these muscles!"

The men just grin as they follow Shane to a grey door on the left. He takes out the set of keys again and starts to open the lock. James looks confused.

"Uh, what kind of room is this?" Shane goes to stand next to the door as the men start to drag James inside. "No, wait. Tell me what we're doing first!" Shane grins widely as he shuts the door behind them.

James looks around with confusion. The room looks like an interrogation room of some sort. But instead of the room holding a table with two chairs, only one chair is set up in the middle, standing in front of a large mirror.

The two men drag James over to the chair and forcefully sit him down. He winces and glares at them. The one of the men holds him, while the other grabs something from his back pocket.

"What are those for?" James asks, a hint of fear in his voice as he sees two sets of handcuffs in the guy's hands. He tries to struggle again, but with a fast CLICK, the handcuffs are set around his wrists, cuffing him to the chair. James pulls on them and stares up angrily at Shane, who is standing beside the mirror, watching him. "You're not going to get away with this, you know."

Shane laughs and shakes his head. "Relax James, you don't even know what I'm going to do yet. Just sit back and stare at yourself in the mirror, like you always do. I'll be right with you."

Shane walks behind him. James tries to keep an eye on him through the mirror, but he soon moves out of his sight. He tries to twist his body, trying to find out what Shane is doing. He can't see him, when he suddenly turns up right next to him.

He puts his hand on James head, softly brushing his fingers through his hair. James squirms in the chair, trying to get away from him.

"Such nice hair. I guess those Cuda products really did work for you, didn't it?"

"How do you know so much about me?" James asks with some fear latched in his voice. Then his eyes go wide and he gulps as Shane brings his face just inches away from his. He grabs his face and forces James to look in the mirror.

"So handsome. I can understand why you would pay so much attention to it." He lets go of the face and walks to the other side of him. James follows his movements in the mirror.

"Hey, I already know I look good. You didn't have to handcuff me to this chair to tell me all that." He stammers nervously with a smile.

Just then, Shane grabs him by the shoulders and puts his head right next to his. James stiffens.

"You know, I was always jealous of the way you looked. And the confidence with which you brought it on, too. Wow." He shakes his head. "James, are you familiar with the story of Snow White?"

James looks confused. "Uh, sure?"

Shane suddenly smiles strangely. "That's good. Because it means you know about the Mirror, Mirror on the Wall part. And in our story, guess who keeps coming up as being the prettiest of all?"

James gulps. "I-I don't know…" Shane's smile disappears as he forcefully grabs James by the hair. The pretty boy winces, but keeps from crying out.

"Every time I ask, it comes up as you, James. You! Never me." He lets go of James, who tries to get his breathing under control. Shane starts to pace back and forth behind him, before stopping next to him again. "Just look at me and then at you. Now how is that fair, huh? Look at what I'm up against."

James tries not to look in the mirror, but Shane grabs his face again and tilts it towards the mirror. "It's just not fair. And I think it's time we even the playing field." A creepy smile reappears on Shane's face as he walks away for a moment.

James tries to twist his body to see what he's doing.

"What are you talking about? You need some advice? I mean, I-I can give you advice.. I've given lots of people advice.." James keeps stammering, not knowing how to stop as he starts to feel and more scared.

Then he stops talking when he sees Shane coming back in his sight. His eyes widen at the object in his hand.

"What are you going to do with that?" Shane just smiles broader and walks closer. "No, please, don't do that.. It's all I have…"

James's scream can be heard down the long corridor…

_Meanwhile, back in the cell…_

Kendall has moved to sit on the bench in the right corner, while Logan and Carlos still sit by the wall. Only Logan has now moved to sit in front of Carlos as he checks all his bruises, Carlos wincing ever so often.

"Just try to hold still." Logan warns as Carlos hisses again after his friend touches a nasty bruise on his arm. "How did you get this one, anyway?"

"One of those big guys pulled me up from the ground, just holding my arm. He had a tight grip. Ow!" He cries out when Logan turns his arm a little.

"Sorry." He mumbles, before letting go. Carlos immediately pulls his sleeve down. "Well, good news is, nothing seems to be broken. Bad news is, these bruises are going to hurt even worse tomorrow."

Carlos groans. Logan chuckles, before shifting his gaze to Kendall, sitting on the bench in silence.

"Kendall?" Logan calls out quietly. Kendall doesn't reply. His gaze is fixated on the bars intently, where they watched James being dragged out what seems like hours ago. "Kendall?" he calls out again as he moves closer to his friend.

Logan sighs as he sits next to his friend on the bench. He carefully reaches out a hand to touch Kendall's shoulder. He flinches and looks at Logan with wide eyes. They soften immediately when he notices Logan's worried eyes and smile staring at him. He smiles back a little, but then moves his gaze back to the bars.

"What do you think they're doing to him?" Carlos' soft voice suddenly asks as he has figured out Kendall's thoughts.

"I don't know… but if they hurt him, I swear I'll.." Kendall's voice dies down as he grits his teeth and balls his fists again. He closes his eyes fro a moment.

"Kendall?" Logan's worried voice sounds next to him.

"I'm okay. I just.. I should have stopped them.. It should have been me in there.. And now they have James and they're doing god knows what to him and I can't stop them. I should be there to stop him, to protect him.."

Logan puts a hand on his shoulder again. "Kendall, look at me." Kendall opens his eyes and looks at his friend. "This isn't your fault. You tried to stop them. But those guys, I mean come on. They're even bigger than Freight Train. And there are three of them. You tried, Kendall. There was nothing you could do."

"I could have tried harder." He now shouts, standing up. "I mean, I just let that one guy grab me and distract me."

"Distract you? He knocked the wind out of you."

"Whatever, Logan. My point is, they took James and I didn't do anything.."

"Yes, you did! You tried, but they.." Logan's sentence is cut short as Carlos interrupts him.

"Shh, guys, I think I hear something." The guys turn their heads towards the bars. Suddenly everything falls silent as they too hear footsteps coming down the hall. Carlos carefully goes to stand; Logan quickly rushes towards him to help him up.

Shane's creepy sneer is the first thing they see as he opens the door. All three guys glare at him, but quickly their eyes try to find their friend when the two big men walk closer into the cell.

The guys gasp as they see James. His head hangs low and is covered with a hoodie as the men throw him down to the cold, stone floor and laugh as he just pulls up his knees. Carlos and Logan rush to his side, when Kendall tries to go after Shane.

"Kendall!" Logan calls out to him and he glares at Shane one more time as he closes the door, before turning towards James.

"James?" Carlos calls out carefully. James rocks back and forth slowly. Carlos holds out his hand, but he scoots back.

"Don't look at me." The guys share concerned glances.

"James.. what did he do?" Logan offers in a quiet tone.

"He knew I care about my looks.. He said he was jealous and that he couldn't stand me being better looking than him.." Tears slowly roll down his cheeks.

"James, what happened?" Kendall asks now as well.

"He decided he needed to do something about it… That's when he did this.." He slowly pulls down the hoodie, revealing a completely baldhead.

The guys gasp, but then sigh with some sort of relief.

"Don't look at me, it's horrible!" James cries out.

"Oh my god, James.. I thought he cut off your ears or something..Jesus..." Carlos tells his friend with a shake of his head.

"He shaved off my hair.. all of it!" He shrieks, sobbing dramatically.

"James, it's just your hair! For god's sake.. we thought he did a lot of worse things.." Logan yells.

"But it's my hair! Do you have any idea how long it will take to grow back?"

"Oh, who cares man!" James and Carlos start to argue, when Logan notices Kendall has quietly gone to sit down on the bench in the right corner again. He goes to sit next to him.

"Hey." He softly says, when he notices Kendall seems deep in thoughts. "Thank god it's only his hair, right?" He says with a small smile. But Kendall doesn't smile back.

"He did it on purpose." Kendall suddenly mentions.

"What?"

"Shane. He started with something small. But big enough to make an impact on James. He knew it would upset him." Kendall looks Logan in the eye.

"So you think he's going to try to do that to all of us? Get personal and hit where it hurts?"

"yeah, but in a slow pace though. I'm thinking it wasn't a coincidence they took James first."

Logan nods, beginning to see what Kendall is getting at. "He wanted to get at you, because he knew you'd try to protect us and then blame yourself if someone did get caught."

"And I think him kidnapping Carlos first was part of the same plan. I mean, carlos doesn't like to be alone. So what better way to get at him, then by taking him first, leaving him hurt and alone, before getting all of us?"

"So, then Carlos was first, before James was." The two boys sits in silence for a moment, thinking over all of this. "What do you think he'll do to me?" Logan asks, looking at his friend.

"I don't know. But whatever it is, it'll be something personal." Both guys sigh.

"How far do you think they'll be taking all of this?" Logan asks.

"I'm not sure I want to know." Kendall answers softly, resting his gaze on his two other friends. Some laughter is heard from both of them ever so often. Leave it to Carlos to cheer up their first so distraught pretty friend. "But whatever they have planned, I think we should stick together. I have a feeling it's going to get a lot harder."

Logan too switches his gaze to Carlos and James. Carlos is laughing, while James is making a Zoolander face.

"You know what? I could totally rock this look. Maybe it was time for a change anyway, you know?" Logan and Kendall smile at their friend, glad to see him already feeling better.

"Hm, that went a lot faster than I thought." Shane's voice breaks all of them out of laughter.

"Yeah, I think you may have done me a favor. It was time for a new look." James tells him, holding out a smile. Shane's smile doesn't falter though.

He just opens the door again and steps inside. He looks around and rests his gaze on none other than Logan.

"Your turn." Logan gulps as he looks at Kendall.

**A slightly longer chapter this time. I hope you liked it, I know, maybe you were expecting something a lot worse for James. Just keep reading and reviewing this story ;)**

**Anyway, let me know what you thought of it and thanks for the support!**

**Love, Baxxie**


	5. Chapter 5 Shocking

Chapter 5 Shocking

Logan looks around him with scared eyes as the big guys drag him down a corridor. He tries to keep up with where they are going, making sure he knows where to go if he does get away.

Maybe it's stupid, coming up with an escape plan when he knows he won't be needing it any time soon. But it's just how his mind works.

He can still see the faces of his friends as the guys came to take him away. Kendall tried to stop them once again, James and Carlos stepping in as well this time. But just one guy was needed to grab them together and squeeze them together tightly, like Freight Train used to do. But he never went as far as to actually take away their abilities to breathe. Logan was quick to jump up and tell them he'd go quietly, if he just let go of his friends.

The men laughed and let go. He led himself outside with the men and watched as his friends tried to catch their breath and then cling to the bars as they watched him go.

What would they do to him?

He didn't care about his looks like James and he could handle being on his own a lot better than Carlos. So what about him could they mess with?

He doesn't have to wonder much longer when they stop in front of a door. As Shane opens it, Logan widens his eyes in amazement at all the technical equipment set up. A monitor sits on a small table in the corner, while there is a chair and some strange looking equipment next to it.

Logan is led towards the chair and forced to sit down. One of the men clasps restraints around his wrists and ankles, making Logan feel even more nervous than he already was.

He looks at the computer turned away from him, as Shane goes to sit behind it. The monitor is turned on and Logan recognizes some of his favorite school subjects mentioned on it.

Math, Science and Biology. He looks confused at the subjects, which all are shown with a different color on the screen.

"What's going on?" is the first things he asks since coming down here. He's feeling restless when Shane doesn't answer, but just whispers something to the big guys and they leave the room at once with big grins. "Where are they going?"

"Hush, Logan. We won't be needing them for your special project." Shane tells him as he rolls his chair from behind the computer and sits in front of him. In his hand he now holds some kind of remote control.

"What are the computers for?"

"I knew you'd like them. They are state of the art.."

"I asked what they are for, I know what kind they are." Logan never usually smart-mouths. But he's feeling more and more nervous as he can just feel something is off. He can't put his finger on it, but something is about to happen and it's not good.

"Hm, now there's a side of you I didn't know existed. Interesting." Shane says as he leans back in his chair, fiddling with the remote.

"What are you waiting for? Aren't you going to start the project?"

"Feeling a little impatient aren't you, Logan? Don't worry. I'm just waiting for one more thing." He smiles and Logan struggles in his restraints. His breathing gets heavier and his heart starts to beat faster.

A knock is heard on the door and Shane turns his head towards it. One of the big guys stands in the opening and nods with a smile at Shane. Shane nods back and the door closes once more. Logan feels more and more uneasy as Shane goes to sit behind his computer once more. Logan can see him pushing three buttons on his remote and then laughs out loud as he watches the screen.

He then moves to sit in front of Logan again and crosses his legs with a smile.

"Now we can start." He smiles widely, showing his teeth. Logan has never anything creepier. He has a smile that resembles Batman's The Joker, big and wide, opening wider than any mouth should ever do. How he didn't notice it before, he has no clue. But it will give him nightmares from now on, he knows that much.

"We're going to start off easy. As you can see, your favorite school subjects are right there on the screen. Math is green, Science is red and Biology is purple." Logan looks confused. Why would he mention those colors? How are they important?

"Don't worry. The colors have a purpose. You'll find out soon enough." It was as if he read his mind. Or did he speak out loud? "Now let's start with some easy questions. Math will be first."

Logan looks at the screen as Shane pushes a button on his remote. Math is highlighted on the monitor as a question pops up.

"Logan, how much is 2 + 2?" Logan looks back and forth between Shane and the screen with raised eyebrows.

"Uh, you're kidding me right?" Shane just looks amused.

"Just answer the question, Logan." Logan looks at the screen once more.

"Okay." He shrugs. "The answer is 4." Shane smiles wider and pushes a button. Suddenly, Logan jumps as he feels a small shock going through him. "Ow! What was that?"

Shane chuckles and clicks his remote. "Let's move on to the next subject. Science. At what temperature does water boil?" Logan looks confused again.

"Uh, water boils at 212 Fahrenheit or 100 Celsius." Again, a small shock goes through him. He thinks he knows what is going on, but he doesn't understand it.

"Very good. On to Biology. How many teeth does an average human adult have?" Logan is quiet for a moment as he ponders on what to do.

"32?" He cries out as another shock goes through him. "What is this? How are you doing this?"

Shane chuckles at him. "Oh come on, Logan. You know how electricity is created."

"Yeah, but how am I getting shocked? I'm not even hooked up to anything!"

Shane grins. "Do you remember how you got here, Logan?"

Logan tries to think, but can only remember Shae and his goons showing up at the Plam Woods well, after which everything went black. The next moment, they were waking up in a cell with Carlos. Then he looks up in realization.

"You did something to us.. what did you do?"

"Let's just say I left you all a little present you will never forget." Logan's mouth opens in protest when suddenly another electrical jolt moves through his body. He sees Shane pointing the remote on him with a smile.

"Let's continue, shall we?"

Logan tries to process what is happening in his mind, while answering more kid's questions to his favorite high school subjects. What was the purpose of this experiment? He was shocked every single time he got the answer right. Wait, that was it.

Shane was trying to get to him by making him receive an electrical shock every time he got an answer right. So, he was trying to force him to stop giving the right answers and in result make him feel less smart? Ha! He could play along with that.

"So, what group of animals does the frog belong to?" Logan tries not to smile.

"Uh, monkeys?" He closes his eyes and waits. But nothing happens. He was right, no electrical shock. He sighs with relief and looks at Shane. Why was he still smiling? Logan feels a little uneasy again.

"How much is 10 x 15?"

"40?" Again, no shock, but the smile never leaves Shane's face. Logan starts to doubt himself. What is going on? He got it right, didn't he? This was the project. He wanted to force Logan to give the wrong answers; even tough he knew them all.

But no.. the questions were too easy, something is wrong. What else is he up to? Logan watches Shane closely as he answers more questions wrong. He has also noticed the questioned are slowly becoming harder. Nowhere near the level he knows the answers of, but the level is increasing.

He watches Shane's face for any clues as to what is going on, but when it doesn't show any change, he moves downwards. The hand that holds the remote doesn't move, but the moment Logan gets a wrong answer, one finger slowly pushes a button. One of the same three buttons he pushed when he laughed and looked at the screen. Logan's eyes widen in shock.

"What are you doing?" he almost whispers.

"Oh, you're finally figuring it out, huh? Took you long enough. How about we take a look?" Shane turns his chair and reaches for his own monitor, turning it around to face Logan.

Logan's mouth opens in shock as he sees the four screens shown on the monitor. One of them holds an image of him, right now. But the others show three different rooms, all looking similar to his. The only difference, the monitor with questions isn't there and neither is Logan. There, tied up with the same restraints to a chair are his three best friends, all scared and confused, as they are alone in the room.

"Now watch what happens if you give me a wrong Math answer." Shane has rolled his chair to sit right next to Logan and watches the monitor with him. He points the remote to the screen and Logan watches in horror as Kendall cries out, his body jolting slightly, thanks to the electrical shock coursing through him. "And this is Science."

This time it's James who cries out with wide eyes as he jumps a little in his chair.

Logan is breathing heavily as he rests his gaze on the last of his friends.

"No, please don't, you've shown enough…" he pleads, keeping his eyes on his youngest friend, still full of bruises and looking around the room, looking completely terrified.

"Oh, Logan, you still don't understand, do you? You don't call the shots. This is my project." He chuckles as he pushes the button.

"Oh god…" Is all Logan can bring out as tears threaten to spill. He stares at the screen as Carlos squeezes his eyes shut. He bites his lip. Logan knows he is trying hard not to cry out as his body jolts from the shock.

Shane just laughs next to him.

"Oh, those guys just crack me up. And he is my absolute favorite!" As the shocks subside, Carlos opens his eyes slowly. Logan see he is breathing heavily and he shakes his head, probably trying to get rid of the stars dancing in front of his eyes.

"You're a monster…" Logan whispers angrily as he balls his hands into fists. Shane smiles.

"You're cute when you get angry." Logan just glares at him as he moves his chair back to sit in front of him again. He lets the screen stay in front of Logan. "Let's continue, shall we? How about we go back to Math. Logan, name all the decimals behind Pi."

Logan stares at the screen and keeps his mouth shut.

"Logan? I asked you a question." Logan doesn't answer him. He just keeps his eyes on his friends. "Hm, keeping silent in protest, huh? Okay. I guess we'll have to do this the hard way." Shane looks at his remote and suddenly turns a knob. Logan looks out of the crook of his eye and sees him doing this.

"Last chance, Logan. The decimals behind Pi, I'd like to hear them now." Still, Logan doesn't open his mouth. "Alright, have it your way."

Logan's eyes widen as his friends suddenly start to twitch. They all jump and cry out when a strong electrical surge goes through them. Logan looks at Shane to see him staring straight at him, while holding his finger firmly placed on three buttons.

"Oh god no… Stop, stop! I'll give you the answer, please stop!" He cries out as his friends grip their chairs so tightly their knuckles go white. James has tears rolling down his cheeks, while Kendall is gritting his teeth, trying to stop the pain. And Carlos, he cries out loudly, gripping the chair, until suddenly his eyes close and he goes limp. Logan himself is crying as Shane lets go of the buttons.

"I told you Logan, you don't call the shots around here. If I ask you a question, I expect you to answer. Now, give me all the decimals behind Pi." Shane says calmly, leaning back in his chair with a satisfied smirk.

Logan opens his mouth and during his sobbing starts to number them. "1…" He closes his eyes as a shock runs through him. "4.." Another shock. "1.." He can't help but keep sobbing as a shock goes through him after every right decimal.

He doesn't even remember getting to the end as he is led down the hall again and thrown into the cell. His cheek is stained with tears as he quickly rushes towards James, who is lying on the stone cold floor weakly. He ignores his own aching body as he turns James over on his back. He moans and then slowly opens his eyes.

"Logan? Are you okay?" Logan just nods.

"Yeah, I'm alright.." He wants to tell him, but he can't. It hurts so much to see his friends like this and it's all because of him. He didn't figure it out fast enough.

He helps James sit up slightly and move towards his other friends. Kendall is sitting with his back against the wall. His eyes are filled with worry as he holds Carlos' head in his lap.

"He won't wake up.." He whispers. Logan does everything he can not to break down crying at the sight of Kendall so upset and Carlos… He can hardly look at his young friend, as he lies on his back, his eyes closed, whimpering ever so often with every move his body makes.

"Logan?" He looks up at Kendall, who looks at him through worried eyes. "Are you alright? What did he do to you?"

"I…" He looks between his friends and then breaks down crying. He quickly feels two strong arms engulf him in a hug. He can tell it's James, which hurts even more as he knows his friend is in pain. "I am so sorry…" He sobs.

"What for, Logan? Why are you sorry?"

"This is my fault… It's my fault you got hurt… I didn't know…" he wheezes and the guys exchange looks.

"Calm down, Logan. What are you talking about?" James questions him. Logan looks up to find both his friends staring at him.

Through his sobs, Logan tries his best to tell them what happened. The boys listen in shocked silence. When he's done, they are still just staring.

"Guys? Please say something.." He says in a small voice. When they don't respond, he starts to sob again. Then, James pulls him into another hug.

"That bastard… " Kendall angrily says, being careful not to move too much when Carlos moans suddenly.

"I'm sorry… I didn't know.. I tried to stop him and I made it worse.."

"Logan, this isn't your fault. That guy is just a sick bastard. He's the one that did this, not you, alright?" Logan wants to believe Kendall, but he just can't do it. Not wanting to disappoint his friends, he puts on a small smile and nods. James just hugs him again, before pulling back and giving him a small smile of his own.

Logan slowly heads for Kendall and Carlos. He looks at Kendall with a pleading look and smiles as his friend immediately moves to give Logan his seat. He holds Carlos up and Logan takes his place, carefully letting Carlos down.

"Carlos? Can you hear me?" Carlos just moans and twists his body a little. "If you can, I'm sorry, buddy.. I am so sorry…" He whispers and kisses his friend's head. He soothingly starts to run his hands through his friend's short hair.

James and Kendall exchange a worried glance as they look at Logan as he starts to hum an old children's song. However soothing it sounds, it terrifies both of them.

_**And there it is, Logan's project. Sorry for the Logie fans out there and the others as well, of course. This is long from over…**_

_**Let me know what you thought of this chapter. Still thinking about who will be next in m new chapter. Any requests?**_

_**Thanks for reading and supporting!**_

_**Love, Baxxie**_


	6. Chapter 6 Hockey Pucks

Chapter 6 Hockey Pucks…

Another day has arrived, or at least, it seems like it, as all the boys wake up in their cell once again. Logan awakes to find Carlos no longer in his arms. His eyes shoot open and he looks around the cell wildly.

Then he breathes a sigh of relief when he sees his young friend leaning against James, as he speaks to Kendall. They sit quietly, James nodding once in a while, while Kendall talks now and Carlos just stares between his friends.

Logan goes to get up, when pain shoots through him. Oh, right, a madman electrically shocked him. He hisses as he stands up anyway and slowly makes his way over to his friends.

"Hey, look who finally woke up." Kendall says with a smile as he looks at Logan. Logan smiles back a little before hissing again as he leans down to sit again. Kendall watches him with concern, but when he offers a hand to help him, Logan waves it away.

Everyone is quiet for a moment as Logan looks at all three of his friends slowly. Kendall is still smiling at him, but there is something else in his eyes. Concern, anger and… determination?

James smiles as well, but Logan can tell he is just trying to be brave in front of Carlos. Carlos… he looks the worst off still. His bruises are fading slightly, but he gazes at his friends through small eyes. He tries to smile, but it fades straight away. Logan can't blame him. He looks awful, exhausted and trembling slightly.

They probably all are, from the lack of decent food and water. Not to mention sleep and then there is of course the games…

He moves his gaze back to Kendall and then it clicks in his head suddenly. He smiles wider.

"So, do you have a plan yet?" Kendall grins slightly.

"Well, so far we.."

Kendall is suddenly interrupted by another voice.

"Good morning, boys. Isn't it a great day today? The sun is shining and.. Oh, my bad. You can't see that in here, can you?" Kendall immediately balls his fists seeing Shane's face at the bars again. "Did you miss me?"

"What do you want, asshole?" Kendall grits his teeth.

"My my, Kendall. Such strong language this early in the day. You know, I did mean to let you all rest up for a few days before I started the next project. But all this scheming you're doing… Frankly, it needs to stop." The guys exchange worried glances. How did he know?

He grins widely. "Yes, I know about that. You see; I know everything." He tells them in a whisper before startle to cackle in laughter. "Oh, you should see your faces. No, there's a camera right up there, in the left corner."

All guys wear looks of horror as they look up towards the now very obvious camera. The red blinking light seems to stand out in the dark room so suddenly. All are wondering how they could have missed it. It was right there, all this time.

"Well, come on Kendall. It's time you get to start your project." The other guys eyes widen as the three big guys come in. they haul Kendall to his feet and start to drag him out of the cell. The guys get ready to defend him, but Kendall looks at them and shakes his head.

James gets up anyway.

"James." He looks at Kendall with pleading eyes, but Kendall shakes his head again. He wants to help his friend, but once Kendall gives you his look, you'll know to listen to it.

The only reason he goes with them, not kicking and screaming, is because he knows, as long as they have him, they won't hurt his friends.

"You're awfully quiet, Kendall. You're normally the spirit of the group, the one that back talks all the way. You're not sick are you?" Shane asks him as they lead him down the hall. When Shane tries to put a hand to his forehead, he angrily shrugs it off. The grips on his arm tighten as he struggles. "Ah, there it is." Shane smiles as Kendall keeps glaring at him.

"Just keep your hands off of me!"

"Oh, don't worry, Kendall. I won't lay a hand on you. Oh, isn't this just exciting? I've been looking forward to this project. I worked so hard on it, you're going to love it!" He claps his hands like an excited schoolgirl.

"Let's just get this over with." Kendall grumbles as Shane opens a large door.

The room is dark, making Kendall squint his eyes to adjust and see what's inside. Suddenly the lights flicker on, lighting up the middle of the room. Kendall's eyes widen. A small hockey rink has been set up in the middle of the enormous warehouse like room.

Two goals have been set up facing each other. Kendall looks next to him and sees Shane standing by a large duffel bag.

"Time for a game." The way he says it and the look in his eyes make Kendall shudder.

A few moments later Kendall finds himself dressed completely in hockey gear, including a helmet, a stick, padding and roller blades. Not only is he dressed for hockey, he is dressed as a goalie.

"So, what am I supposed to do with all this?' He asks, staring around in confusion, as he is alone in the middle of the hockey rink with Shane standing on the side, watching him.

"Isn't it obvious? You're going to play a game of hockey."

"Uh, it's a little hard to do by myself." He knows there is more to it, but he can't help taunting Shane a little. He loves irritating him, it reminds him of Gustavo. Too bad Shane doesn't seem very responsive to it.

"I know. That's why I have some opponents lined up for you." He grins widely, when the door opens and the three large men walk in. All dressed up in hockey gear.

Kendall can't help but stare in slight fear at the large Freight Trein sized men. He was going to have to play them? By himself? He'll never survive…

"What's the matter, Kendall? I thought this was what you always wanted? Weren't you the one who dreamed of becoming a hockey star?"

"This isn't a fair game. It's three against one!" He gulps as the three men grin menacingly at him.

"Oh, I do apologize. I completely forgot to explain the rules of this game. You see, you won't just be playing a game against them, no. You will have to defend your own goal from them, whole they try to shoot in those colored pucks." Shane points towards the three men. They step aside and there are three piles of colored pucks. Green, Yellow and Red.

"What's the point of the colors? Are they worth more points?"

"That is one way of looking at it." Shane says with a chuckle. Kendall stares at him in confusion.

"You see, Kendall, these pucks represent how much you value your friendships." Kendall follows him as he starts to walk towards the light switches. "Each color stands for one friend. Green." He flips a switch, making it echo loudly through the room. A light is turned on and Kendall watches with wide eyes as it illuminates a see through box, surrounded by mechanisms. Kendall doesn't even want to question what they do; all he sees is Logan, who looks back at him with a desperate plea, holding his hands on the front wall.

"Purple." Another switch is flipped. Another see through box is illuminated, with only some sort of machinery on the top. This one holds Carlos, who is sitting on the floor, looking scared. When he notices Kendall, he scrambles to his feet, wincing a little at his bruised body. He puts his hands on the front and starts to pound on it, yelling what no one can hear. His eyes are wide as he looks at Kendall and seems to be saying his name.

"And finally, red." The last switch is flipped. Kendall gasps at the last box. There is James, strapped to a table. He blinks heavily, trying to adjust to the sudden light. Then his eyes widen and he screams and struggles to get loose. In this box, the mechanism is painfully clear. At some distance above his head are long knives, just etching to claw at his skin.

"What is wrong with you? You sick bastard!" Kendall yells as tears stream down his face at the sight of his friends in such despair.

He wants to race towards Shane and beat him up, but strong arms wrap around him fast, preventing him from going anywhere.

"No, let go of me, just let go! You sick son of a bitch! You can't do this!"

"Oh, but I can, Kendall. You see, their lives are in your hands right now. If you refuse to play, I'll be forced to punish them." Kendall stares back at his friends once more with pain in his eyes.

"And if I do play?" Shane waves his hand and the goons let go of him.

"Well, you'll need to make sure they don't score any goals. For every colored puck to go in, the mechanisms will be turned on. If you watch the boxes closely, you'll see ten stripes on the front. Every stripe represents the number of pucks scored by them." Kendall watches the boxes and now recognizes the ten stripes.

"And if I stop a puck?"

"Nothing will happen then. But I will say, they are pretty good. It might be difficult to stop them."

"What happens when the mechanisms go on?"

"Oh, well, would you like a demonstration?" Shane asks in surprise, pulling a remote out of his pocket.

"No, no, that's okay. Never mind. I'll stop the pucks from going in anyway."

Shane shrugs. "Suit yourself. Good luck, Kendall. You're going to need it."

Kendall swallows hard, before skating towards his goal. He refuses to look at his friends again, afraid that if he does, he'll just break down. Right now, he needs all his strength. He makes a swift decision. He decides to put all his anger and frustration into his game.

"This one's for you, guys." He whispers to himself as he takes a deep breath, getting into position.

The first guy smiles at him evilly, ready to shoot the first green puck. He pulls his stick backwards and shoots as hard as he can. Kendall tries everything to stop it, but a loud buzzer tells him he didn't.

He whips his head towards Logan's box as the mechanisms come to life. He watches in horror as the left and right wall starts to move forwards, towards Logan. Logan backs into the back wall in fear as he sees the walls drawing closer together. Then, all of a sudden they stop. Kendall notices they stopped right at the first stripe of Logan's box.

Oh no…

He doesn't have time to react, as the second guy gets ready to shoot a purple puck. Kendall barely has time to turn back to watch the puck come flying his way. And into the goal…

The buzzer sounds once again and Kendall slowly turns his head towards Carlos' box. Carlos still has his hands on the front of the box, saying something no one can hear, when suddenly, the mechanisms start to work. Carlos watches the floor suddenly when water starts to seep in. He looks up at Kendall in fear as he tries to stay dry. But it's no use. Soon, his feet are completely underwater. The first stripe was reached.

Kendall gulps, but he quickly remembers what happened last time. He needs to focus. He turns around to face the next opponent, who is just getting ready to shoot. When he does, again, Kendall isn't fast enough to stop him. James' mechanism comes to life with a roar and the knives above his head start to slowly move downward.

James can be seen screaming, but all the boxes were made soundproof. Kendall tries his best not to break down at the predicament he put all his friends in. He needs to keep going.

About an hour later, half the hockey pucks are gone. Kendall feels exhausted. But he needs to keep up his game. He has been getting better. So far, he has stopped five pucks in total. Unfortunately, Logan and Carlos' pucks can barely be stopped. Those guys are just too good. Logan is on his fourth stripe, while Carlos is already up to his waist in the water, making five stripes. Kendall has already spotted that the last two stripes go above his head.

James' pucks are a lot easier to stop and Kendall has found an obvious weakness in his opponents' game. Whenever he plays, he has to shoot to the right side or the middle. He can't play to the left. Kendall is trying to pinpoint all their weaknesses, but so far, the others are more difficult to read.

"I am so loving this game. Go Kendall!" Kendall tries to ignore him as Shane is cheering him on from the sidelines, taunting him. "Oh, but since we're halfway there, let's kick it up a notch. Boys, let's speed things up!"

Kendall opens his mouth in shock. They weren't playing at full speed?

He quickly gets ready, but he is not prepared for the green puck to come flying towards him in near warp speed. He breathes heavily as it flies into the goal, he never even had a chance.

Logan's walls etch closer together; making the pale boy put his hands on them. They're not touching him yet, but if he stretches his arms to the side fully, he can press against them.

Kendall tries his best to get ready, but before he even has a chance to get into position, a purple puck flies through his legs.

"No, no…" He mumbles desperately at himself as the men pick up speed. They follow up on each other much quicker than before, no longer waiting for Kendall to get ready.

The water in Carlos' box goes higher up, touching his chest. Carlos looks around, frantically trying to find something to hold on to, to pull himself up. But he finds nothing.

James lies still on the table. The knives have only moved once, but he is still terrified, squirming to get away. Suddenly, they come to life once more. Kendall watches in pain as the knives move down once again.

"Come on, Kendall. You're not getting tired are you? I don't think your friends will appreciate it if you give up now." Kendall growls.

Alright, that is it. No more thinking, put your head in the game, Kendall. It's now or never.

With that, Kendall gets ready for the fight of a lifetime. Bring it on…

A while later has Kendall panting in front of his goal. He tries not to pay attention to the few hockey pucks left on the floor and he hasn't looked back at his friends either. He has managed to stop more pucks now, but the few that went by… he doesn't want to know which color they were. It'll only take him out of his game.

"Hey, Kendall? Don't you want to see your progress? I mean, I have to congratulate you for saving James' life. Even if those last two pucks do go in, the knives still won't touch him. Hardly. But the other two, well, they have less chances." He tries to ignore Shane's voice. "Come on, Kendall, just look at them. They're your friends. Don't you want to see what your dream caused them? The only reason I chose this game is because I know how much you love it. How does it feel, Kendall? To know that your friends will have nightmares for years to come because of one silly game of hockey? Huh?"

He shuts his eyes for a small moment, breathing in deeply, trying to prevent the oncoming tears from reaching him. Then he decides to steal one last look at his friends. He never should have. His eyes widen as he sees Logan trying his best to keep the walls from crushing him. He has turned around, so that his back is against one of the moving walls, giving him just that little bit of extra space.

And Carlos… The water is at his chin now. Three stripes remain. He only stopped one puck. One… If he lets one more puck through, the water will rise above his head. Two pucks remain.

Lastly, James. Shane is right though. He has stopped most of James' pucks. Only three stripes have been touched. No matter what happens, the knives won't hurt him.

He turns back towards his opponents, trying to clear the images of his friends out of his head.

A green puck comes flying his way. He puts his full body into defense mode and then squeezes his eyes shut. He missed it, he knows he did. He waits for the buzzer to sound. But it never does. He opens his eyes and looks at Logan. He too has his eyes closed and his arms out in front of him, stopping the wall from moving. But it doesn't. Kendall looks down in his glove and actually finds the puck right there.

He smles greatly, wants to cheer, but then a buzzer does sound. His eyes widen in fear and he watches Logan again. Nothing happens. But even Logan's eyes are widened now as he watches in fear in front of him. Kendall slowly turns his head. He gasps, the water level in Carlos' box is steadily rising again, moving above his chin, over his mouth and going higher. Carlos struggles to keep his head above the water and trashes around wildly, his eyes show so much fear, it breaks Kendall's heart.

Now, more determined than ever to finish the game, he turns around. Only to find the next opponent not even ready.

"What are you waiting for? Shoot the damn puck!" His eyes keep casting over to Carlos in a hurry. "Come on! Shoot!"

The guy just smiles evilly and slowly moves towards the red puck. And in one movement, he shoots it as hard as he can, propelling it towards Kendall, who watches with wide eyes. He pants heavily when the buzzer sounds.

What was that? He couldn't play before… He casts a glance towards James, who looks up in fear as the knives come down further. They stop at the fourth stripe. Kendall turns away, but then he hears the mechanism move again. He whips his head around and sees the knives going down even further.

"Wait, what's going on? You said they only go down one stripe for each puck!" Kendall yells at Shane, who is laughing his head off like he's gone completely insane.

"Yeah, but that was such a nice shot, I couldn't resist. Oh my god, you should see the look on your face… Priceless, just priceless…"

Kendall can only watch helplessly as the knives move down to the last three stripes. By this time, James has tears streaming down his face. Kendall does as well.

"Please, just stop… Don't do this.." Kendall pleads as he falls to his knees, sobbing. "Please don't make me go on…"

"Oh, come on, Kendall. I only made sure they're all even now. Well, except for Carlos. How long do you think he can keep his head above the water like that?" Shane watches with amusement as Carlos struggles. His head goes under for just a small moment, but he picks it right back up again. Everyone can see he's having a lot of trouble with it.

"Let's go, Kendall. Only one more puck for each of them." Shane claps his hands and Kendall reluctantly pulls himself back on his feet. He wipes his arm across his face to get rid of the tears and stands in front of the goal again.

"Just hurry…" He whimpers. The first guy comes up to the last green puck. Kendall breathes heavily and tries to focus as best as he can on the puck.

When it is finally shot, it seems to fly in slow motion. He moves as fast as he can, somewhere in the distance a buzzer sounds.

"No…" He can hear the mechanisms moving. He watches as the walls move one last time. Logan's eyes grow wide and he tries everything to stop them from crushing him, he moves up, he puts his hands on them.

Kendall has tears streaming down his face once again as the walls stop moving. He can't even fully see Logan anymore.

"Oh, god… Just hurry up, come on!" he yells through his sobbing and gets ready once again.

A purple puck is shot towards him and he tries to catch it, tries to stop it, but he stumbles and fall forward. The buzzer pounds in his ears. In horror he watches the water level rise even further. Carlos tries to swim up, but he doesn't have the strength left. He struggles as the water rises above his head. He pounds on the walls, trying to get out.

"Stop, please.. That was the last one, just let him out, please!" Kendall screams from the floor, but Shane just smiles at him.

"Not until you finish the game, Kendall."

He slowly gets ready again, but he can't even see the red puck anymore. His vision is completely blurred. He can see an object coming towards him, and he throws himself at it. This time no sound is heard as he is lying on top of the final puck.

He sobs on the ground. "Let them go… I'm done now, let them go!"

"As you wish." Shane says with a chuckle. He presses a button on his remote and the mechanisms move back into their first position, right before the front walls open up.

As Carlos' wall opens up, all the water streams out of it. He falls to the floor, coughing as he tries to catch his breath.

When Logan's walls part, his eyes are wide and he puts a hand to his chest, also trying to regain his breathing with loud gasps.

James is still crying when the knives go back up into the ceiling and his restraints are gone. He hurries off the table and out of the box, falling to his knees, sobbing.

Kendall watches his friends while he himself sobs on the floor. He can't go to them.

"This is my fault… I did this to them…" he mutters to himself. He doesn't even notice being lead away from them. He suddenly finds himself in a small area, where his clothes are thrown at him. He slowly changes back into them and then stands on shaky legs as he is lead back to their cell.

There he finds James sitting with his knees pulled to his chest, still sobbing. Logan sits with his back against the wall, still gasping for air as Carlos holds him, coughing ever so often and his breath wheezing.

He goes to sit at a small distance away from them. He's afraid to look them in the eyes.

"Kendall?" He looks up to find Carlos staring at him with, concern? "You tried your best. They were just too strong…" He croaks.

"How can you say that? You almost drowned because of me, Carlos.. How are you even sitting up right now, talking to me?"

"Would you rather have me lying on the floor, gasping for air?"

"No, I just… This happened because I like hockey."

"Kendall… we all… like… hockey…" Logan's voice suddenly mentions, gasping for air between every word.

Kendall doesn't respond. Instead he just watches his friends for another moment. He is still surprised at how well Carlos seems to be doing. But when he looks closer, he notices he's wrong. He is heavily leaning on Logan, while rubbing soothing circles on his friend's back to help him breathe. His eyes are open wide, he looks t be in shock. Of course, that's what it was. He doesn't know what he's doing. He's in shock. That's what happens when you're in cold water and go through a traumatic experience like this… wait…

"Carlos? Are you wearing different clothes?" Carlos snaps his head up to look his friend in the eye. The other guys slowly move their heads towards him as well.

"They didn't want me to get sick." He quietly replies, before looking down at his feet and avoiding everyone's gaze.

"Carlos, did you dress yourself? Please tell me you dressed and undressed yourself…" Kendall asks, dread creeping into his heart.

Carlos doesn't look up. "I tried to… but I was so tired and cold…" He softly tells them.

"Oh my god… I'm going to kill them... Did they touch you?" Carlos whips his head back up.

"No! They didn't, alright? I-I-I got other clothes from them and they took me back here, okay? I-I'm fine…" The way he avoids their gazes and the sudden increase of his stutter makes the guys exchange looks. But the tone of his voice also makes them drop the subject.

Kendall takes one more look at James, to find him again with tears pooling in his eyes. The sight breaks his heart all over. With all the strength he has left he crawls over to his friend and envelops him into a big hug, letting his head rest n his shoulder as he starts to cry into it.

No matter what happens, he needs to stay strong for his friends. He can't show them how much this whole 'project' has affected him. How he is on the verge of breaking down. He couldn't protect them. They nearly died because of him. Because he likes hockey. Thankfully he already gave up on that dream. He'll never be able to play it now without those memories etched into his mind…

_**Wow, didn't mean for this chapter to get this long. It's not fully what I intended, but I hope you still liked it.**_

_**A lot more is coming up, and up next you might be able to guess already ;)**_

_**Anyway, lot more whumpage coming up, so keep reading and I hope you're enjoying it. I'm off to bed, hoping to write more this week, but not making any promises!**_

_**Thanks for all the support and until next time!**_

_**Love, Baxxie**_


	7. Chapter 7 Save Me

Chapter 7 Save Me

It's been some days since the last project as Carlos slowly wakes up. He was dreaming of the Palm Woods and their apartment there. He opens his eyes with a smile and stretches his arms over his head.

He winces immediately and pulls them down slowly. His eyes grow wide and his smile vanishes as he finally recognizes his surroundings again. He's not at Palm Woods, he's still in the same cold, dark cell. By himself.

He quickly gets to his feet as he notices none of his friends are with him. Alone again.

But wait, maybe he's dreaming again. He closes his eyes and pinches himself. He yelps at the pain and opens is eyes again. No change.

Oh no… Wait… maybe, just maybe they were never taken in the first place. He was here all by himself.

He looks down at himself. If that was true, he would be wearing his own clothes now. He turns a disgusted grimace to the grey, dark clothes they had dressed him in. Couldn't they have at least looked for something nice?

Oh god, he was starting to sound like James now. Stop.. he couldn't think about that right now. Where were his friends?

His thoughts are soon interrupted.

"Ah, look who's finally awake?" Shane's voice rings in his ears. He looks up and glares at him.

"Where are they?" he growls at the man.

"Ooh, look at that. No more shy, little Carlos, huh? You gonna be a man now?"

"Shut up. Where are they?" He growls louder, stepping closer to the bars. "Tell me!" He shouts.

"There, there, no need to yell at me. I'll take you to them." Carlos can't stand still as Shane slowly opens the cell door. The three big guys are close behind and step towards him, but Carlos stops walking.

"You can call them back. I'll come quietly." Shane puts up a hand and the guys stop walking. He motions for them to turn away. They walk ahead and Shane walks close to Carlos, who avoids his gaze and just glares ahead.

They keep walking until they reach the large doors Carlos was forced to go through just days before for Kendall's project. His body shivers involuntarily at the thought of being in that box, nearly drowning. He shakes his head as he tries to get rid of the memory.

The door opens and Shane stands next to it. The three big guys walk through, but Shane just gazes at Carlos with a smile. Then he waves a hand inside.

"After you." Carlos tries to ignore the twinkle in his eyes and walks through the door. It's dark again.

Would he have to play hockey, too?

"Now, Carlos. It is finally time for your project. I'm sorry it took me this long, it was a lot of work. But it will be so worth it, you'll see." Again, his smile and demeanor makes him seem like an eager child. Carlos recognizes that look straight away. He always got that look when he was excited for something. Like when it was finally his birthday and the moment came where he could open his presents.

Shane moves to the light switches again. "Are you ready?"

"Just hurry up." Carlos says with an angry tone. He feels restless. Why couldn't he just hurry this along, so he could get all the pain ver with. He could handle it, whatever it was. He was good dealing with pain. Being so accident-prone, even with it never really being accidents, he was used to getting hurt.

Not that he enjoyed any of this. And the pain did feel different. But he could do this. The others had, why couldn't he?

And that's when he suddenly remembers the others. Where were they? During the others projects, they had all been part of it. Except for with James' project. He still didn't get that. Why was he the only one hurt that time? Why not them too?

"Okay, I can't wait anymore. Carlos, here is your project." The switches are forced down suddenly and the light flickers on. Carlos looks around in amazement.

He actually put the entire space to use. A giant maze, it seems, has been set up in the room. Thick walls made of wood make up the structure. Caros can't see over them, so there's no way of knowing what's inside.

"I heard you want to become a superhero, am I right?" Shane suddenly asks from right next to him, making him jump a little. He gives Shane a confused look. "And you lack direction." A large grin appears on his face. "Well, right now, both issues are addressed. You see, you will need a sense of direction to get through thi maze. But the superhero in you will have to do it in time as well."

"What does that mean?"

"Superheroes always rescue all the victims, right? They can never be late. Then they wouldn't be a superhero anymore, now would they?"

"What's yur point?" Carlos starts to feel irritated again.

"Well, since you want to be a superhero, I have given you some victims to save. They are inside that maze and you will have 30 minutes to save them. Once the 30 minutes are up and my buzzer sounds, it's game over. And whoever is left in that maze. Well.. you can guess." He winks at Carlos, who cringes. "You better get going, I don't think your friends can wait any longer."

Carlos' eyes widen as he quickly whips his head around to the entrance of the maze. His face drains of color as Shane chuckles beside him.

"Time to go." He pushes a button and Carlos can now see a large sports countdown board above the light switches. The red numbers light up and 30 minutes start the countdown. Carlos swallows hard and turns back to the entrance.

He breathes out deeply, before starting to run. The first hallway seems long and he just runs without looking. Then, two choices; left or right. He knows he doesn't have time to think and he heads right.

After running a little while, he suddenly sees a wall blocking his path. A dead end. Crap! He turns back and runs the opposite direction.

He nearly runs headfirst into one wall and slips on the floor, nearly crashing to the ground in another hallway. Then, the first obstacle stands. He gulps as he comes to a stop. Another box.

He walks up to it, not seeing anything at first. But on the other side he suddenly sees him, Logan. He is inside the box, staring at the ceiling with frightened eyes.

Carlos knocks on the front of the box, making Logan suddenly whip his head towards him. He immediately puts his hands on the front, saying something, but Carlos can't hear him.

"Logan, stop! What are you saying? I can't hear you.." he tries to read his lips, because Logan keeps pointing to the ceiling. He frowns. "Logan, I don't understand.." he sighs and walks to the other side of the box, to find a way out. Then, he finds a lock. He smiles and puts his hands on it. Suddenly, a loud beeping noise is heard.

It's followed by the muffled screams of Logan, who is pounding frantically on th walls. Carlos moves to the front and sees some sort of gas coming down from the ceiling. He then notices another countdown screen inside Logan's box. But this one reads 3 minutes.

He rushes to the lock again and tries to pull on it. It doesn't budge. He looks around, frantically searching for anything to break the lock with. The timer in the meantime just ticks away.

"Shit, shit.. come on.. anything.." He mutters and keeps looking arund when he spots something embedded in the wall. An axe is sticking in the wall. He runs towards it and tries to pull it out with all his strength. His face goes red as he pulls. He puts one foot on the wall and tries it again.

Still nothing. Then, he decides to put both feet on the wall and starts to pull again, pushing his feet on the wall and leaning backwards. Suddenly, he shoots to the floor, with the axe in his hands, landing on the ground with a painfully loud thud.

He ignores the pain in his back and the stars dancing in front of his eyes and gets up, hurrying towards the lock. He picks up the axe and starts to pound on the lock with a loud CLANG.

With relief he can see the lock coming off it's hinges. He pounds faster, harder and suddenly, the lock falls to the floor. He drops the axe and quickly opens the door. He is just in time to catch Logan as he falls out and into his arms.

He coughs and gasps for air. Carlos looks inside the box just to see the timer has stopped at 30 seconds and the gas is retreating again.

"You okay?" he asks Logan, who is lying on his stomach. He nods, while he tries to regain his breath.

"Just go, the other guys.." He gasps. Carlos nods and reluctantly helps his friend into a sitting position against the wall. He watches him for a little while, before Logan waves him off with a small smile. He rushes off again.

He reaches two more dead ends, before a second box comes into view, this one is much higher than the others. This time he doesn't need to go around it to find out who's inside.

"James.." He whispers, tears pooling in his eyes. His tall friend is hanging from the ceiling suspended by cables, surrounding his body. His eyes are closed tightly, Carlos can see he's trembling.

H rushes forward, but the moment he gets close to the box, another beeping noise is started.

"Oh no.." He looks up and sees another timer has started. Again, 3 minutes are on the countdown. He looks at James and gasps when he sees what the timer has set in motion.

One by one, the cables snap, and James has to use more and more of his own strength to keep from plummeting to the ground below.

"Oh, god… oh god.." Carlos trembles and hurries to find a way to save his friend. After searching a little while, he finds another lock. But this one can't be pounded off. This one needs a key. A key he doesn't have…

"Hang on, James.. " Just then he realizes and face-palms. "Oh, stupid, stupid, Carlos. Bad choice of words… not that he can hear me.. alright, now where's that key.."

He looks everywhere around him, knowing that it must be there, like the axe was. Why Shane has given him all these tools, he doesn't get. But he is grateful nonetheless.

"Come on, come on, where is it?" he searches the walls, nothing. He starts to crouch down and roams the floor. Suddenly something shiny catches his eye. There's a small opening in the box itself. It seems big enough to fit his hand through. He takes a deep breath and sticks his left hand in.

He reaches inside the opening for the key, which hangs on a wire. He has to stretch out his entire arm to make a grab for the key.

It wasn't that far away, was it? He reaches as far as he can, when his fingers graze a small object. He almost cries with relief and grabs a hold.

He starts to pull on the key, when suddenly it starts to pull back.

"What the…" He keeps a tight grip on the key and pulls on it with all his strength. But then all of a sudden, the key is pulled away from him, fast and hard. He tries to hold on. He knows he should let go, but he can't. He has to save James.

So he holds on and tries to pull the object back to him. But the wire is too strong and pulls further, until a loud POP is heard. Carlos grits his teeth and clenches his jaw, squeezing his eyes shut. His shoulder just got pulled from it's socket.

After the POP was heard, suddenly, the wire goes limp. Carlos carefully pulls it towards him. He has great difficulty, since every movement makes his shoulder hurt more. He blinks away tears and slowly stands up, with the key now in his hand.

He looks up and sees James hanging still, but only two more cables left. One holds his right arm, the other the left. He hangs on for dear life and his eyes are squeezed shut. Preparing for the impact he is about to make, tears rolling down his face.

Carlos moves towards the box and slides in the key, turning it. Just as the final cable is about to snap, James lowered down by a mechanism. He is sobbing as he reaches the floor. He sits on the floor of the box, not trusting his own strength to stand. Carlos can see he's shaking.

"James…" He quietly says, trying not to wince. James doesn't look up, he just stays on the floor, curled up in a ball. "James, I kind of need your help a little.." He winces as he moves his arm too much.

James looks up now and through his tears, concern flashes when he sees Carlos' arm hanging limply by his side.

"My shoulder popped out… Could you uhm.." James carefully gets up and without Carlos having to say it, he grabs a hold of his arm. He looks at him, seeking approval. Carlos nods and looks away.

James pulls as hard as he can. Carlos tries hard to keep from screaming out as his shoulder POPS back again. He looks at James, who hugs him quickly, trying to avoid his left arm.

"Thank you…" He sobs and then lets go just as fast.

"Just go find Logan, I need to find Kendall." James goes to shout after him, but he's already gone running again.

"The clock is ticking, Carlitos.." Shane's whiny voice is heard through a loudspeaker. He cringes when he hears him use the nickname only used by his friends and loved ones.

He runs through the hallways and tries not to look at the clock, its red, angry numbers screaming at him; 13 minutes remaining…

"Come on, Kendall, where are you?" he runs, and turns a corner when there it is; standing out like a glass coffin, Kendall's box. It's lying down, like a coffin. He runs over to it and sees Kendall, who looks at him with a smile?

He puts his hands behind his head, showing Carlos he's fine. Carlos smiles through his angst and goes to work on finding an opening. He walks forward, when he trips over something and crashes to the floor with a loud THUD.

He looks behind him and sees an almost invisible wire spun between the walls. His eyes widen in shock.

"Not again…" A small timer starts another countdown. 4 minutes.

He looks at Kendall, who is now no longer smiling. Instead, his eyes are wide and fixated on something in front of him. Carlos looks to the other end of the box and with great shock he sees small bugs starting to crawl through an opening.

They quickly start to crawl on top of Kendall, who is desperately trying to fight them off. Among the bugs, are small spiders.

He knows Kendall has a fear of spiders, always has. He may be a Spidey fan, but if an actual spider comes close, someone has to get it away from him.

Kendall pulls his legs up, but when that doesn't work, he tries to kick his feet at the bugs, trying to squash them or scare them away. But more come out and Carlos can see him freaking out.

Meanwhile, Carlos is busy trying to find out how to get him out.

"Come on, there's gotta be an opening somewhere around here.. Where is it?" he searches every corner of the box when he reaches the back of it and the bottom. "Aha!" He smiles when he finds a lever underneath the box. He looks up to let Kendall know, and he gasps. Kendall is covered in bugs, he can't even see his face anymore.

He quickly gets under the box and grabs a hold of the lever, pulling on it as hard as he can. First, nothing happens. Then, he feels tiny pricks of pain all of a sudden. He looks at his arm and then notices in shock that there are fire ants crawling over his arms.

He tries to throw them off, but they keep coming. He pulls the lever again and this time, the bottom falls out, making the bugs all scurry away and Kendall falls to the floor.

Carlos rushes over and starts to slap all the bugs away from his friend, who has been holding his breath and now gasps for air.

When most bugs are gone, Kendall lies there panting.

"Are you okay?" Carlos asks with concern. Kendall just nods from the floor, unable to answer because he's shaking so much.

"Carlos? Just 6 more minutes on the countdown and one more box to open!" Shane calls out in a sing-song voice.

"wait, what? But I got all of them out.."

"Not all of them, Carlos. There's one more box and I'd hurry if I were you. I hear, her biggest fear is fire…"

Carlos glances at the clock and then races off again, leaving Kendall to catch his breath.

He keeps his eye on the clock this time as he keeps on going.

After turning a few corridors, his hurt arm nearly forgotten, he finally finds the last box. It stands in the middle of the room, the finish of the maze. He smiles and runs over.

He looks inside and finds a young woman, couldn't be older than 21, tied to a chair in the middle. She's crying and screaming, but her sounds are muffled by a cloth in her mouth. She's blindfolded and Carlos' heart reaches out to her.

"Hold on, I'll get you out.." He tries to reassure her, but more so himself.

He searches the box, feeling every inch.

"Tick-Tock!" Carlos glances back and sees the last minute counting down.

"No, no!" he feels frustration setting in as he tries to find a door, opening or anything. "There's got to be something!"

He searches the walls, but can't find anything.

"..9…8…7.."

"No, please.. don't do this.."

"..6..5..4.."

"Please, just give me more time.." He pleads as tears start to run down his face.

"..3..2..1." A loud buzzer sounds.

"No, no.." He pleads and puts his hands on the handlebar of the door he just found. He pulls, but it won't budge.

"Sorry, Carlitos. I'm afraid you had to set a mechanism in working for that door to open. It's too late now."

"No, wait! Please don't hurt her. She's innocent. I don't even know her!"

"I'm afraid time's up. Say goodbye now. I would stand back if I were you. It might get a little hot."

"What?" He hears CRACKLING in front of him. He whips his head to the box and sees flames rushing in from the bottom. "Oh god.. oh god, no.. Stop, stop! Shane, please! You can't do this!"

"Aw, as much as I love hearing you beg and saying my name, it won't work. You wanted to be the hero, Carlos. But you couldn't save her. I guess you're not a hero after all. Hm, shame."

"No… No!" He screams as he pounds the door with his right fist, tears streaming down. Hands grab him from behind, pulling him away as the flames engulf the box. The girl's screams can be heard throughout the entire room.

Carlos struggles in the arms of the person who grabbed him.

"No.. No, I have to get her out.."

"Shh, Carlos. There's nothing you can do.." Kendall's voice sounds shakily from beside him.

"I have to save her…" He sobs, but Kendall just holds him tight. Soon two more pairs of arms engulf them both in a hug as they watch the box burn out and Carlos sobs loudly.

A while later, they are all back in the cell. Carlos has hardly spoken. He sits quietly while Logan puts his arm in a sling, using a torn piece of the blanket with them.

"Carlos, you were a hero just now. You know that, right? You saved our lives." James tells him. Carlos doesn't look up.

"I didn't save hers." He quietly responds.

James looks at Kendall, who looks at Carlos in concern.

"Carlos, there was nothing you could do." Kendall tells him.

"I could have. I could have saved her, if I had gotten there sooner, if I had found that mechanism faster.."

"Carlos.." Logan starts.

Carlos suddenly stands up.

"No! I could have saved her. She was there because of me. Because I said I wanted to become a superhero. But I'm not, because superheroes save everyone in time. She died, because I didn't save her!" He yells at them, kicking one of the walls in anger.

"Carlos, this isn't your fault." Kendall tells him again. Carlos whps around to face him.

"yes, it is! She wouldn't have been there in the first place if I had had a normal dream. None of you would have."

"A normal dream. Like hockey?" Kendall asks him. Carlos doesn't respond to that. He looks down at his hands. Kendall sighs and leads his friend to sit down on the bench. "You saved all of us in 30 minutes. There was nothing more you could have done. You were a hero to me." Carlos doesn't respond. He just looks at his hands. "hey, look at me." Carlos looks up. "You're my hero." He says in a somewhat girly voice.

Carlos chuckles a little through new sobs and tears. Kendall sighs again and pulls him into a hug as he starts to sob again.

"It's okay, buddy. I'll get us out of here.. I promise.." the other guys come to sit with them as they hold on to each other in comfort.

Meanwhile, behind the camera images, a man sits. He holds an angry scowl, while he grips a coffee mug so tightly in his hands that it shatters to pieces…

_**Sorry, it took me a while. I had trouble finding the time to write anymore. But I found myself feeling inspired for this chapter suddenly, so I had to write it.**_

_**Now, I am going to bed, another busy time up ahead. I'll try to update again soon, but can't make any promises.**_

_**If you have any ideas for this story btw, let me know **_

_**Thanks so much for all the support on this story and I hope you're enjoying it **_

_**Until next time & Love, Baxxie**_


	8. Chapter 8 I feel pretty

Chapter 8 I feel pretty…

It's been two days since Carlos' project. The guys tried to calm him down and after crying more, he did calm down. But ever since that day, he hasn't been sleeping. He's been acting like the old Carlos during the day, letting the guys think he's okay. But they've all woken up at night, seeing Carlos sit against the wall, his knees pulled up and him looking completely lost in thought.

"Guys, I'm really worried about Carlos. I really think he's starting to fall apart." James whispers to his friends, making sure Carlos can't hear him.

"I know. We really need to get out of here. This is getting to all of us." Kendall exclaims and he sighs. He looks at Logan and looks concerned when he sees his friend trembling slightly as he sits on the floor. "Logan? Are you okay?"

He reaches out a hand to touch him and frowns when Logan jumps.

"Sorry, I was kind of lost in thought for a minute. I didn't notice you walking over." Logan tries to explain.

"Are you okay?" Logan just nods slowly, before turning his head down. "Logan?"

"I'm fine, Kendall. Really.. I just.. I just can't take much more of this. I've been having nightmares.." Kendall slowly slides down the wall to sit next to him. James quickly follows, but sits in front of his friends.

"Do you want to talk about it?" James asks in a concerned voice.

Logan shakes his head. "I'd rather just forget about them." The other two exchange a look. "They've been pretty bad…"

"You know, I've had nightmares too." Kendall suddenly mentions.

"You have?" Logan looks surprised. Kendall nods.

"I think we all have. I have a suspicion that that's the reason Carlos hasn't been sleeping. I just keep wondering, why did Carlos get a project like that? Shane must have known he would never get to tha girl in time. Why did he do that to Carlos?"

"And why did he only shave my hair off?" James agrees.

"The guy is insane. Does he really need a reason for anything?" Carlos' voice sounds from behind them. It sounds flat. The guys turn to him and find him not even looking at them. When he does turn his eyes towards them, they try hard not to gasp at how dark they look. "he just wants to taunt us. He wants us to break down. But you know what? We can't give him the satisfaction."

The guys exchange looks at the darkness sounding in his voice. They grow even more concerned when they watch a somewhat sinister smile appear on his face.

"We should fight back. We ned to stay ourselves, no matter what happens, remember? That's what we agreed on." He suddenly gets to his feet and looks at the others with determination. "Come on, guys. We can do this. Together, we can do this."

The others look hesitant. How did Carlos go from not sleeping and randomly staring into space to suddenly trying to pump up their spirits? That was Kendall's job. He should be making jokes, talking about rainbows and kittens.

"Well, we could think about kittens?" James suggests with a smile. Logan and Kendall look at him in surprise and then start to grin.

"Yeah, whatever helps." Their grins fade at how annoyed Carlos seems now.

"Bravo, what a wonderful speech!" The guys whip their heads around at the sound of clapping. Shane grins at them from the bars.

"What are you doing here?" Carlos asks, his eyes narrowing and his voice practically spitting venom.

"Ohooh, you're getting really feisty now aren't you?" Shane replies with a smile, before opening the door.

"Just tell us why you're here." Carlos says in a flat tone, his expression the same.

"Getting straight to the point. I'm starting to like you more and more." Shane whispers to Carlos as he walks close to him and reaches out a hand to touch his cheek. Carlos pulls back immediately and swats his hand away.

"Keep your hands off me."

"Okay, okay, for now." He winks at Carlos, making the boy scrunch up his face in disgust.

Shane walks over to the other guys, who've been quietly staring at the exchange.

"Hm, I believe it's your turn again, James." He looks at James and puts on a big grin. James keeps his face strong.

"Bring it on." The others exchange looks.

"Hm, after all these projects, you're still so ready for whatever's coming, aren't you? You might regret that, you know. I mean, I've had a talk with my boss and he's still not happy. Meaning; the projects are going to be kicked up a notch."

"What does that mean?" James asks, his voice sounding slightly worried.

"Oh, you'll see." The strange sinister smile appearing on Shane's face gives everyone an uneasy feeling. "Come on, we're wasting precious time." He walks away and James slowly follows. He seems hesitant, but then he is roughly pushed from behind by one of the big guys.

The other guys go back to sitting against the wall. Carlos still looks angry as he crosses his arms and watches the bars like a hawk.

_Meanwhile with James…_

James is led inside the same room he was in during his first project. Again a large window-like mirror is in place and a chair is in the middle of the room.

Shane motions for him to sit down. James does, after letting out a deep breath. Shane closes the door and moves to stand behind him.

"Oh, look at that. Your hair is starting to grown back." James tries not to lash out as Shane moves his hand over his head. He puts his face right next to James and smiles into the mirror. "Look at that face. You know, I always thought you were the prettiest one. But looking closer, you're really not, are you? And funny enough, I'm not the only one who thinks that."

James frowns. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I happened to ask some people, well, girls actually, if they would want to go out with you. And I asked some you did go out with. Do you want to hear their answers?" James frowns more. Shane suddenly pulls out an audio recorder and presses play.

"_Go out with him? Ha! Uh, no thank you." _A girls' voice laughs loudly.

"_Have you seen him? I mean, he's so ugly. Who would ever want to go out with him?" _James gulps as he hears the disgusted tone of voice of another girl.

"_Hahaha, you have got to be kidding me. I mean seriously, he's really fat. Of course I wouldn't want to go out with him."_

"_Oh god, no. He is so full of himself. Have you seen him walk around the pool? I hate guys like that."_

"_I once even saw him without a shirt. I really had to try hard not to laugh."_

James tries to keep his breathing in check, but the more messages he hears, the worse he feels. Tears are starting to pool in his eyes.

"_I went out with him once. But honestly, it was more a pity date. I mean, who would ever go out with him? I was just doing him a favor. And even though the date was horrible, I don't regret it. I was really nice and I feel good about it."_

"_He asked like every girl to the dance. I eventually said yes, because I felt so bad for him. Every girl just talked behind his back. I mean, yeah, he's not the best looking guy. But it's sad.."_

"Stop, just stop.." James softly pleads.

"Oh, James. It's never good to hear people think you're ugly and fat, right?"

"I am not ugly or fat. Those are fake.."

"Fake? Oh, honey, no. They're not. Let's hear some more."

"_No, no, no. You can offer me a million and I'll still say no."_

"_If he was the last guy on earth, I'd still turn him down. The guy is just creepy. The way he winks at every girl. Yuck, makes me shudder."_

"Please just stop.." James pleads, his voice louder now.

"_Oh my god, it was so sad. He was looking at us and he smiled. It was so creepy, we couldn't help but laugh. The guy may be nice, but he could use some work. And a work-out.." _The statement is followed by a series of laughter.

"Stop, stop!" Shane grins and presses 'stop'. He then gets up close to James's face again. He pulls his chin up to force him to look in the mirror.

"Now tell me what do you see? Do you still think you're beautiful?" James looks down again. Shane gets angry and forcefully grabs James by the throat, pulling up his face. "Look!" James looks up and into the mirror when tears slowly starts to roll down.

Shane grins and lets go of his face.

"Why are you doing this? Why are my projects so different from the others?"

"What? You would actually like to see your friends get hurt because of you? 'Cause if you do, I can get them in here." Shane tells him truthfully, heading towards the door.

"No, don't!" James yells, turning his body towards the door. "Don't hurt them."

"Huh. So you actually do care about the other guys."

"Why wouldn't I?" James looks shocked at the statement.

Shane shrugs. "I dunno. I just figured, you love yourself a whole lot more."

"Well, I don't. I'd trade my life for any of those guys." James yells while tears roll down faster. His breath hitches.

"Really? Huh, interesting. You would really do that?"

"Yes…" Shane smiles again and seems to think of something.

"You know, that's really good."

"W-why?" James asks during soft sobs.

Shane chuckles and snaps his fingers. James looks up to see the mirror growing transparent. He gasps at the sight of his friend on the other side. They are all tied to chairs, blindfolded.

"No, no…" James tries to get up, but Shane puts his hands on his shoulders. "Why are they there?"

"I just want to test your statement." He says matter-of-factly.

"What do you mean by that?" James sounds scared as he keeps his eyes on his friends.

"You said you'd trade your life for them. Let's see how honest you were." Shane walks away for a moment. He comes back with a cart and pushes it in front of James. On top are several tools; a razor blade, a scalpel and more sharp objects. 

"What are these for?"

"Well, since you just found out that you're only positive features are really not seen that way by others, I'm guessing you can't wait to take it out on yourself."

"What?" James replies in a near whisper. "Why would I do that? Just because some people think I'm ugly and fat, doesn't mean I have to believe them."

"You know, you say that like you really believe it. But the shaking of your voice tells me otherwise." Shane leans down to him. "Go on, grab this. You know you want to."

"No.."

"You know, I only stopped that tape because you asked me to. There are a lot more voices on that tape. Including your friends."

"What?" James whips his head towards Shane, who nods.

"Yeah, I know. Horrible, right?" James doesn't respond and slowly turns his gaze towards his friends.

"I don't believe you."

"But you really should. Here, listen." Shane grabs the recorder again and presses 'play'.

"_Well yeah, he's not really our friend. I mean, we're just really nice guys, you know? And he doesn't have anyone else. So, we hang out with him." _Carlos' voice rings through.

"_I really don't know why we hung out with him. I mean, the guy is totally annoying. He keeps following us around, trying to become friends or something. It just creeps me out." _Logan agrees.

"_That guy cares about no one but himself. Frantically, it just disgusts me sometimes. But I really don't have a choice. I have to hang out with him, because we work together. But if I had a choice? Yeah, I'd tell him to get lost." _Kendall.

"No, they didn't mean that. You told them to say that."

"My dear boy, I did no such thing. They came up with this all by themselves." Fresh tears come out and James hangs his head. "Oh, you poor thing. So many people hating you. Tell you what. I am going to leave the room and I'm going to leave all these tools with you. If you want to do anything, don't hesitate to go for it." With that Shane leaves the room, closing the door behind him with a smile.

James just stays seated when the transparent window becomes a mirror again. His eyes widen in concern and he gets up. He puts his hands on the mirror.

"no, wait! Let me see them.. Don't hurt them!" All of a sudden he hears a speaker going on with loud crackling. He looks up towards the upper right corner.

He can suddenly hear more voices sounding through.

"_He is so ugly. How can he stand looking into the mirror every day, I really don't get it.."_

James puts his hands on his ears. He slides down the wall as more voices talk about him being ugly and fat. He keeps his hands on his ears, trying to block out the voices.

Suddenly, the door slams open. James looks up in surprise to see Shane.

"Change of plans. Since you're refusing to listen to those messages, I'm going to help you." He motions towards him with his hand.

"What.." He doesn't have time to finish his sentence as two of the big guys pull him to his feet roughly and haul him over to the chair. They have rope in their hands and start to tie him up tightly, making him wince ever so slightly.

When he's fully secured, they walk away and out the door. Shane remains and slowly heads towards James.

"Well, looks like we're alone again. Well, alone…" He snaps his fingers and once again the mirror becomes transparent. James gasps. The blindfolds are gone, but all three guys have their eyes closed. They're breathing heavily. He then notices blood on Kendall's head. Carlos opens his eyes, but they're unfocused. He blinks heavily, trying to clear his vision. There seems to be a large bruise forming on his jaw.

Logan looks up suddenly as well. A bruise forming on his throat.

"What did you do to them?"

"Oh, not that much. The plan was to hurt them as soon as you didn't cooperate." James' eyes widen. "Yeah. But it was taking too long. So, I decided to change things. I am going to give you a choice."

"What's that?"

"Either I hurt your friends with my tools, or I use them on your face. I mean, people already think you're ugly. But you still don't fully believe them. So, I'll have to prove it to you." James looks at his friends with concern.

"Well? What'll it be? Them or The Face?" James gulps.

"The Face…" He nearly whispers.

"Ooh, good choice." The window turns back into a mirror. James lets more tears fall down and he tries not to look when Shane goes to grab the cart with tools again. His hand moves forward and he lifts up the scalpel first. "Now this might hurt a little."

_Back at the cell an hour later…_

"Are you sure you're okay, Kendall? I mean, with the way they hit you, you could really have a concussion."

"I'm fine Logan. Why don't you ask Carlos, he hasn't talked the entire time we've been back in here." Logan turns around to look at Carlos. His friend stares at the bars with concern.

"Carlos?" Logan eyes the bruise on his swollen jaw and winces. "Carlos?" he asks again, leaning down to his friend.

"I'm fine." He responds, not looking up.

"You know, that bruise looks really painful."

"So does yours." Carlos replies flatly. Logan takes a deep breath and winces when it makes his throat hurt.

Suddenly Carlos' eyes widen and he rushes to his feet. Logan turns his head and sees James being led down the hall.

The door is opened and James is pushed inside. He doesn't look at his friends and heads towards the bench in the corner, sitting down rght away.

"Jamie?" Carlos asks in concern with a soft voice and goes to sit next to his friend. He holds out his hand to touch his friend. He frowns when James moves away right away.

"James?" Kendall asks in confusion. He shares a look with Logan. Logan moves towards James and kneels in front of him.

"James?" He calmly asks and reaches out his hand to pull up his head by his chin. The guys gasp when they see the long cuts covering his face and neck. "Oh my god… What did they do to you?"

"Don't look at me.. I'm hideous.. And I know what you said about me. I know you only hang out with me out of pity. It's okay, you don't have to pretend anymore." James softly tells them and pulls away from Logan.

"What? Why would we do that? James, you are our friend, our brother. We would never think you're hideous and we don't hang out with you out of pity." Carlos tells him with concerned eyes. He tries to touch James again, but he shrugs it off.

"Did Shane tell you that?" Kendall asks, now having moved to stand with his friends, his hands balled into fists as he sways a little.

"He didn't have to. He played the tape. I heard you myself."

"James, we would never say that…" Carlos says again, biting his lip.

"I heard you, Carlos. I heard all of you. Just leave me alone, I don't want pity…"

"James.." Logan reaches out, but James flinches and turns away. Carlos looks at his friend with sad eyes and sends a pleading look towards his other friends. They just sigh and start to move towards the other side of the cell. "Come on, Carlos. Let's give him some time."

But Carlos doesn't move. Instead, he moves closer to James and suddenly engulfs him in a tight hug.

"Carlos, don't.. You need to get away from me, I'm ugly and fat and I shouldn't have any friends. Carlos just hugs him tighter. "Carlos.." James starts again, but his voice is breaking. He tries to say more, but then he just breaks down crying.

The other guys share a look, before trudging over to their friends and joining into the hug.

_**I know, not as much angst as the others. But I couldn't come up with anything else for James. If you guys have an idea for his next project, let me know, please **_

_**Thanks again for the support! I really love receiving your reviews and alerts. Makes me feel happy **_

_**Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. I'm off to bed right now. If you have any ideas or suggestions for this story, feel free to either tell me in a review or PM. I always appreciate it!**_

_**Until next time & Love, Baxxie**_


	9. Chapter 9 Call a Doctor

Chapter 9 Call a Doctor

"_He's not our friend. We only hang out with him because he doesn't have anyone else." _

"_Who would to date him? He's so fat and creepy…"_

James tosses and turns as the voices continue to taunt him.

"_That guy? Hell no… He's really ugly."_

"_He keeps following us around like some lost puppy. It's sad really."_

"_Yeah, you're so pathetic, James."_

"_No… I'm not.."_

"_Yes, you are. Look at yourself. You think you're all that. But honestly? You're nothing, James. You're so fat and ugly, who would ever want to be friends with you? I sure as hell don't." Kendall laughs in his face as James starts to cry._

"_No, stop it.."_

"_See? Completely pathetic. You're worthless, James. You'll never find a girl. You're going to end up all alone with that stupid mirror, which will shatter from the sheer ugliness of your face." Carlos spits in his face._

"_No, no…" James holds his head as they continue to taunt him, laugh at him. "Stop… You're my friends… Stop!"_

"_James…"_

"_Noooo, stop it!"_

"_Jam_es, wake up.."

"_Stop, I'm not ugly…"_

"_James, _wake up!"

"James!" James shoots awake suddenly from the loud yell in his ears. His eyes dart around nervously and he is met with the concerned brown eyes of Carlos. "Are you okay?"

James quickly turns his head away.

"James?"

"I'm fine…" He can hear Carlos sigh and grunt a little as he seems to sit down against a wall.

"Nightmare?"

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" James asks a bit harshly.

"Funny. What was your nightmare about?" Carlos asks back, his voice sounding completely flat now.

"What are yours about?" James tosses back.

"I don't have any."

"You should go to sleep."

"I'm not tired." Now it's James' turn to sigh. "James? You do believe the things we said yesterday right? We are your friends, James. We care about you and you're not ugly or fat. You're an amazing person."

James doesn't respond, but he tries to keep his tears at bay.

"James?"

"Yeah. I know." He whispers so quietly, he's not sure Carlos can even hear him.

"Good, because I don't like seeing you down. You're the confident one. You're The Face. You're the reason all the girls at the Palm Woods keep staring at us when we walk around the pool."

James looks down a little. "They don't stare at me…"

"Yes, they do. I hear them whispering sometimes. You should hear the things they say about you.. I mean, they make me blush sometimes and they're not even talking about me."

"Stop it, Carlos.." James says with a blush and a small smile even appears on his lips.

"No, no, I mean, you should really hear them. They keep talking about wanting to do stuff to you that I don't think I should know about. I swear I learn more about sex ed just listening to them then.."

"Alright, I get the picture.." James laughs a little, finally turning his head back to Carlos. He finds his smaller friend staring at him with an accomplished smile on his face.

"I got you smiling." He says with an amused expression.

"You always do, Carlitos." He tells him, playfully pushing him with his shoulder. "I don't get how you do it, Carlos."

"What?"

"How you're able to still cheer us up while all this bad stuff is going on. Yesterday I really thought you were losing it. You turned so dark. And now, you're making me laugh again. How are you able to change back to such a positive mood so quickly?" He turns serious and looks at Carlos. His friend's smile fades and he looks down, playing with a string of his hoodie.

"I dunno. I guess I just don't like seeing you so unhappy. I wanted to see you smile again, so I thought happy thoughts."

"Kittens?"

Carlos shrugs again and a small smile appears. "Rainbows." He confesses.

"Ah." James smiles. "But do you feel happy?"

"Does it matter?" Carlos looks him in the eyes in all seriousness and James' smile fades and he looks confused and concerned.

But before he can respond, he hears Logan stretching and groaning when he uses his sore muscles.

"Hey…" He says when he sees James and Carlos both awake. "Why are you guys up already?"

"Nightmare." James responds. Logan nods and looks at Carlos, who looks at the floor, and back to James, who shakes his head.

"Ugh… I have such a bad taste in my mouth… what's for breakfast?" Kendall's voice suddenly rings through sleepily.

"Bread and water, like always." Logan tells him and Kendall groans in response from the floor, his voice sounding muffled.

"Oh, good, you're already awake." Shane cheerfully announces from the bars.

"Oh, great. Just the ugly face we need to see in the morning." Kendall says in an annoyed tone.

Shane just smiles at him as he walks through the door. He seems to be walking straight for Carlos and eyes him, tilting his head from side to side. He appears to be thinking about something.

"Hm. No sleep again, tonight, huh? You poor thing. You must be exhausted." Carlos doesn't respond and keeps his head down. "Yet, you still find the energy to keep a smile on your friend's faces." He leans down close to Carlos, who still doesn't look at him.

"Don't worry, I get it. You must be seeing that girl's face every time you close your eyes, right?" He quietly tells Carlos.

Carlos lifts his head now with pure hatred in his eyes. The guys have to keep from gasping at the look and the realization.

"I'll bet you feel really guilty that she died because of you, right? I know how it feels." In a split second, Carlos punches Shane in the face with every ounce of strength he has, making Shane fall back on the floor with a thud.

A big guy comes and grabs Carlos, keeping him from lunging at Shane, who puts a hand to his nose and pulls it back to see some blood. But a smile appears soon and he chuckles.

"I am nothing like you!" Carlos growls at him. "Don't ever say you know how I feel. I didn't kill that girl, you did, you bastard!" He screams and tries to lunge for him again, but the big guy holds him tightly.

Shane slowly gets up and wipes the blood from his nose. He wipes some dirt from his suit and walks close to Carlos. He eyes him curiously and starts to move up a hand, resting on his throat. He squeezes his hand tighter, making it hard for Carlos to breathe.

The other guys try to go for him, but the other two big guys immediately hold them back. All the lack of proper food and water is slowly draining them of their usual strength and energy, making it impossible to go against the men.

"That was a nice punch. It's great to see some fire come out of you. But arousing as that may have been, don't try it again. Because if you do, I will make you pay." He says in a low menacing voice. He squeezes one more time, before letting go.

He turns around, his back to Carlos and he signals for his men to follow him. Very unexpectedly, Carlos suddenly begins to laugh.

Shane whips his head around and the guys look at their friend like he lost his mind completely.

"That was it?" Carlos says while laughing. "I punched your nose, making it bleed and you give me a threat that if I do it again, you'll make me pay? Dude, you already are!" He yells, while he holds his stomach laughing.

Shane just looks amused and crosses his arms, before sharing a look with two of his men.

They walk up to Carlos and grab him, but he just laughs harder.

"Oh, what now? You're going to punch me? Yeah, that's not predictable." He laughs, while Shane smiles and walks closer to him.

"I think a nice day in solitary might do you some good." He announces and the guys' eyes widen.

"No, wait… he didn't mean it.." Kendall starts, wanting to stop them, but the other big man stops him.

"He just hasn't been sleeping.." James adds, but one of the big men hauls Carlos up and throws him over his shoulder, while he keeps laughing. The laughter continues while the man starts to walk.

"Bye, guys, see ya later!" Carlos waves to them while laughing. The guys try to help him, but the other big men keep them away with a lot of force.

"Carlos! Carlos!" James yells, but one of the big men grabs him and pushes him back with his other friends.

Shane keeps watching Carlos as he disappears from the cell, before turning his attention back to the other three.

"Don't worry. He'll be back tomorrow. He just needs to learn to calm down a little." He says with an amused smirk. "Now, as for what I came in here for. Logan." He clasps his hands and Logan looks up with scared eyes. "It's your turn again…"

He motions to his men and they grab Logan right away.

"No, no… wait.." Logan tries, but the men drag him away.

"Logan!" Kendall yells and he wants to follow, but Shane walks close to him and grabs him. James watches in horror as Kendall suddenly looks shocked and then falls to the floor, unconscious. Shane smirks at James' horror-stricken face, holding up a syringe with amusement.

"Don't worry. It's all part of the project. Logan will save him. Hopefully." He winks at James and walks out, while the guy who took Carlos walks in and tosses Kendall over his shoulder like a ragdoll. Then he walks out as well and the door closes with a CLANG.

James just stands there in shock with his back against the wall and lets his body slide down, while putting his hands on his head.

All alone, just like they said. I'm alone…

"Oh, by the way, James. Here's a mirror and something extra for you. Help yourself." He looks up to see Shane slide something underneath the cell door. He winks again and walks away, whistling to himself.

James gulps, before hesitantly crawling over the floor towards the objects. He finds a hand mirror and a scalpel? He turns the mirror over and with shaking hands pulls it up towards his face. Tears flood his eyes when he catches his reflection, dropping the mirror in an instant and sobbing against the wall.

_Meanwhile with Carlos…_

Carlos was thrown into a fully white room, square shape with soft walls. He still laughs like a maniac as he eyes the room and the door is shut behind him and darkness takes over.

The man looks at him through the small window on the door and shakes his head before leaving.

Carlos lies on his back, the laughter slowly dying down as he comes back to earth. He sits up as he wipes the tears from his eyes. Then, in an instant, the smile is wiped from his face completely as he realizes where he is.

He recognizes this room. His dad used to take him to the police station ever so often, even though he wasn't allowed to, and he showed him the cells. He also showed him the 'special' rooms, one of which was the solitary confinement space in which inmates would be locked up when they got out of control. They would be locked up in there for days sometimes or just a few hours, depending on the situation. But all would come out completely pale and quiet.

"_it's a scary place to go. No one to talk to, no colors, no sounds. Just you and your mind, with all the time in the world, left alone with your thoughts. It's almost as if being locked in your mind itself. It's not something I'd want to go through…"_

He remembers his dad telling him that several years before. He shuddered then, never wanting to go in. He had nightmares after that; they would always be about his dad throwing him in there when he'd been bad. He joked about it sometimes.

But now he was actually here. In solitary confinement. In the dark. Without his friends to distract him from the thoughts he so desperately tried to block out. It's why he refused to go to sleep.

Shane had been right. He did see her panicked face every time he closed his eyes. He could see her pleading him to save her, before the flames engulfed her and only screaming could be heard. That was something he hadn't been able to block out. No matter how much he tried, he kept hearing those screams.

He slowly sits against a wall, pulls his knees up to his chest and closes his arms around them. Whatever you do, don't close your eyes. Just think happy thoughts… Kittens, rainbows, puppies… His head starts to droop.

All gone up in flames… Wait, what? His head shoots up, his eyes wide open.

Oh no… Stay awake, Carlos…

He tries all he can, but soon the fatigue catches up with him and he lets the darkness fully take over. Let the nightmares begin…

_In another room…_

Logan was led into a different kind of room. Judging from the beds and the instruments, this must be the prison infirmary.

Logan knows no good can come from this, none at all. He looks around and is led to the back, where two curtains seal off two more beds. Not good, that's never good…

Suddenly, the men holding him let him go, but they grab his arms and try to put something on him. He looks back and sees they try to put an old doctors coat on his body. Oh no, it just got worse…

He struggles with them, but n the end he can just glare as he now wears the old doctor's coat. The smell of the old fabric is enough to almost make him vomit. But he can't let them see this. He holds it in and tries to ignore it.

"So, what do you think?" Logan looks at Shane, who walks around, showing everything off like it's a mansion. "I knew you'd like it. I found this especially for you, you know. I mean, I know how you've always wanted to be a doctor."

Logan cringes a little. His eyes wander to the two hidden beds again. Shane follows his gaze.

"Ah, I see you've already found your patients." Logan's eyes widen. Patients?

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you've always wanted to become a doctor, Logan. I know it was never your dream to become a popstar like the others. So, I want to help you out and let your dream come true. You see, behind these curtains are two patients you will get to save." He smiles. "Well, when I say save, I mean, you can only save one of them. Just like a real doctor sometimes has to make difficult choices, so will you."

Logan gulps at this.

"You can't be serious…" He quietly utters.

"Oh, but I am. This is what a doctor does, Logan. Surely you know that. It comes with the profession." He makes his way towards the curtains. "So without further ado, Logan, meet your patients." He grabs the curtains and pulls them aside, like he's on a stage.

Logan gasps. On one bed is a young boy he doesn't recognize. He has jet-black hair and caramel skin. He reminds Logan of Carlos when he was younger. His eyes are closed tight, but Logan can see his chest rising steadily, while he is drenched in sweat. This is not what made him gasp, though. On the other bed is none other than his best friend, Kendall.

He looks pale, breathing heavily, sweat running down his face as he looks at Logan through half-lidded eyes, panic coursing through them.

"No, you can't be serious…" Logan asks in a pleading tone, turning his head towards Shane.

"Both of these young men have been injected with a deadly virus. It's up to you to save one of them. I will give you some time and when time is up; game over. Alright?" Shane explains like everything is normal. "Now, in these cabinets up here, there are ingredients and books you can use to save them."

"Ingredients and books? I don't.." Logan's panicked voice sounds.

"You have books to look up which virus it is and how to make the antidote and the ingredients to actually make the antidote are right next to it." Logan's voice widens in shock and he looks back at the two figures in the bed.

"You can't make me do that.. I'm not a doctor.. I can't just make an antidote. They might both die!" he exclaims to Shane.

"That's why it's such a fun game, Logie." Shane smiles.

"No, no… You can't! Just give me the antidote. I'll play another game.. Just don't make me do this…"

"Logan…" Kendall's weak voice sounds from the bed. Logan turns towards him and Kendall beckons him to come closer. He walks close with tears building up in his eyes.

"Kendall, I can't do this.. I'm not a doctor… he can't do this.."

"Logan, I trust you. You're the smartest guy I know. If there's anyone who can do this, it's you.." He coughs weakly and Logan winces.

"But I can't… He's giving me a time limit.. I might not be able to save you… He's making me choose, Kendall… I don't want to kill the other guy.. He looks so young.."

"then don't." Kendall replies.

"What?" Logan asks him with confusion etched in his eyes.

"Don't let him die. Save him first, then me." Logan's eyes widen.

"Kendall, no… I won't let you die.. You're my best friend…"

"Logan. You can't let that boy die because I'm your friend. He's innocent in all this. We don't even know who he is."

"Kendall, I can't…" Kendall weakly grasps his hand.

"I believe in you, Logan.." Then he starts another coughing fit and closes his eyes, trying to catch his breath.

"Come on, Logan, time's ticking…" Shane says in a sing-song voice.

"Oh god.." Logan mutters, trying to keep tears from flowing freely.

"You don't have a choice, Logan. You have to play by my rules, meaning, you have to play this game. Besides, you'll all die in the end anyway." Shane whispers the last bit in his ear, making him gasp. Shane chuckles.

"let's go. I'm going to set the clock." Shane starts to walk towards the door and presses a switch.

"No, wait!" Logan yells, but he's too late. A timer has been set into motion. 30 Minutes remain. 30 minutes to save two people, his best friend, whom he's known since kindergarten, his brother, and an unknown young boy, of about eleven. He doesn't want to choose, so he decides not to.

"I'm going to save them both, Shane. You'll see!" he suddenly exclaims with a triumphant smile. Shane just nods with a sinister smile of his own and closes the door behind him as he leaves.

Logan's smile fades right away when he hears the door click shut. His mind starts to pour over with thoughts, his stress levels start to reach dangerous levels.

Can he do it?

(A/N: I'm very sorry about this next part. I wanted to write this, but honestly I have no idea how. I'm not a medical expert, so I'm just going to leave this up to your own minds and skip the whole game, until the end. Enjoy ;))

_25 minutes later…_

"Come on, come on, why is this thing dripping so slowly?" Logan voices as he holds a beaker filled with a yellow liquid upside down. It slowly drips into a different beaker, now colored green. The opening is very small, but Logan can't open it another way.

While dripping, he keeps looking over his shoulder at the clock and then to the two figures in the hospital beds. They're looking worse every second now. Both are extremely pale, skin glistening with sweat. Their lips have turned ashen and the young boy has started to get a nose bleed, after he coughed up blood before.

Logan is feeling desperate as he feels the pressure mounting with only five more minutes on the clock.

This is the last ingredient, but he has already noticed both their heart rates have started to slow down. Their pulses are weak and their breathing is labored.

When finally the last drop he needs is inside the beaker, he quickly stirs it. And with only three minutes left he jumps for joy.

"yes! Here I come, guys, just hold on." He quickly heads for both beds and chooses to sit in a stool in the middle. He turns to Kendall first and puts the beaker at his lips. His friend groans, trying to push him away weakly.

"Come on, Kendall. You need to drink this. You'll die if you don't.." he pleads softly. "Kendall, please!" he cries out as he reads only two minutes left on the clock. Slowly but surely he can see Kendall is drinking the liquid. He almost chokes on it, but Logan coaxes him through it.

"Easy now.. that's it, slowly…" he lets Kendall drink enough, before hastily pulling th beaker away. "Alright, next up.." he turns to the young boy and puts the beaker to his lips.

To his surprise, the boy's eyes suddenly open weakly. He gasps when he is met with the same eyes of another best friend, Carlos.

"What the…"

"Lo-gan?..." the voice croaks. Logan pales as he finally realizes he does know this person.

"A-Alex? Oh god.. Uh, here, quickly, drink this…" He puts the beaker at his lips.

"Alright, time's up." Shane suddenly announces and Logan's eyes widen.

"No, no.. Wait, I've almost got him. Here, just drink up, Alex.."

"I'm sorry, Logan, but rules are rules. I gave you 30 minutes and those 30 minutes are up now. Game over, remember?"

Strong arms come to take the beaker from his hands. They have to struggle, because he tightens his hold on it, refusing to let go.

"No, no… You can't! I already finished it, you have to let him drink it! Please!" Logan cries freely now and tries to hold on, but the beaker is pulled from his grasp and thrown to the floor, where it shatters. Logan watches in horror as the liquid spreads out on the ground. "No…" He voices, now whispering, he looks into Alex' eyes. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry.." He keeps repeating to the boy as he lays his head down on the bed and closes his eyes.

Suddenly, two pairs of strong arms grab him and start to pull him from the bed. Logan struggles hard.

"No, wait! Just let me stay with him.. He can't die, you can't let him die! Let me be with him, don't leave him by himself!" he keeps screaming at Shane while he is dragged out of the room. Shane just smiles and closes the infirmary door, letting Logan scream down the hallway as he walks up front and they start walking.

"Nooooo! Nooo…. Let go of me! Alex!" Logan screams as they draw closer to the cell again.

"How does it feel, Logan? Knowing you just chose your best friend over your other friend's little brother?" Shane asks with a smile. Logan lunges for him, but the big men hold him tight.

"You bastard! You could have let me save him, he didn't have to die! Why did you let him die!" He screams while tears fall down.

"Congratulations, Logan. You've now officially experienced what it's like to be a doctor." Shane exclaims with a big smile as they throw Logan into the cell and immediately close the door. Logan scrambles to his feet and grabs the bars, pulling at them.

"You're a sick bastard.. You're sick, you hear me!" Shane starts to walk away, leaving Logan to scream after him. "You'll pay for this.. You could have saved him! You monster!" When Shane is out of his sights, Logan screams one more time, before he falls to his knees on the cold floor. Sobs wrack his body and soon a strong pair of arms wrap around him.

When his sobbing subdue a little, he looks up to find James holding him, his eyes full of worry and tears as well.

"What happened?" he whispers to Logan, fear having now taken over.

"They made me choose who to save… they gave two people a deadly virus and told me to save them within 30 minutes… I made the antidote and just in time saved Kendall.." James eyes widen and he looks slightly relieved. "I didn't recognize the other boy, he looked so young, but not familiar at all, until he opened his eyes. I had the beaker at his lips, but Shane came in and told me time was up. I was right there, James.. I could have saved him… But they pulled the beaker and threw it to the floor. They could have saved him… I could have saved him…"

"Who was it?"

"Alex.. Carlos' younger brother…" James stares in horror at the realization of what he said. "I killed Carlos' brother.. He was 11, James.. 11… And they wouldn't let me save him…" James just engulfs Logan in a tight hug as he lets fresh tears of his own fall down.

"Shh, It's okay, Logan… It wasn't your fault… It's okay…"

They sit on the floor, crying together at the monstrous things Shane has made them do…

**A/N Yeah, I was in a flow with this chapter, resulting in how long it is :P**

**I hope you like it, I tried to put something for everyone in here, some BTR angst. Next chapter, can you guess what will happen?**

**Thank you for all the reviews and story alerts and favorites, they really keep me going. So review again and I'll try to update as soon as possible!**

**Thank you all again, also for some of the great ideas. I can definitely use them, so look out for them in later chapters, I'll make sure to leave a credit **

**Until next time and Love, Baxxie**


	10. Chapter 10 Game Over

Chapter 10 Game Over…

Logan and James stay together, until their crying subdues. They don't talk, but just sit with their backs against the wall. Both have things on their minds and aren't willing to share. Not until they know their other friends are safe.

A loud click jolts them out of their thoughts and they look up to see the big men throwing a figure inside the cell. The figure groans and moves to sit up, but collapses again right away.

Logan and James share a look before jumping up to help their friend.

"Come on, Kendall, you're okay." Logan sniffles as tears of relief fall down is face. He wasn't sure if Kendall survived or not. Just seeing him now, so weak, but alive, he can't help but feel happy.

They hoist Kendall up as much as they can and lay him on his back, carefully carrying him into the corner. They quickly draw a blanket over him, which lay in the corner.

"Logan?" Kendall weakly asks, before coughing.

"Don't talk, okay? Just rest up, you're going to be okay." Logan assures him.

"Alex… he.." Logan just shushes his friend.

"Don't talk. Save your strength to get better alright?"

"I didn't know it was him.. I could have warned you, Logan.. Why did you save me first?" Logan gulps at his last question and just stares at Kendall, no longer able to speak.

"Go to sleep, Kendall. We'll talk when you feel better, bud. Just close your eyes." James tells his friend, but eyes Logan with a concerned glance as he does. Kendall finally nods and lets his eyes droop.

Logan still sits there, not able to talk. He suddenly feels a hand on his shoulder and looks up to find James' concerned eyes staring down at him.

"You okay?"

"He's right.. He asked me to save Alex first. Why didn't I listen to him? If I had helped Alex first.." His eyes tear up again.

"Then Kendall would have died, Logan." James tells him as he sits next to him again. "This wasn't your fault. You tried to save him, but Shane stopped you. There was nothing you could have done."

"Do you think Carlos will see it like that?" James sighs.

"I don't know, Logan. But Kendall and I can back you up on it."

"Oh god.." He sobs into his hands. James pulls him to his chest again.

"It's going to be okay, Logan. I'm sure whatever happens, we'll be able to handle it."

"He's going to hate me…"

"No, he won't.."

"I killed his little brother, James. Of course he'll hate me!" He yells at James, before breaking down sobbing again.

James sighs again and just holds his friend once more.

They seem to sit like this for hours, when Logan falls asleep and James lets him lie on the floor, while he keeps watch over both his friends.

After a while Kendall starts to groan and move around. James goes over to him and puts his hands on his shoulders.

"Kendall, it's okay. Wake up." He gently shakes his friend's shoulders and Kendall slowly opens his eyes. He blinks a few times, before looking up at James.

"James?" He tries to sit up, but James pushes him back down.

"You've had a rough time, man, better stay down for a while longer." Kendall nods slightly. "How do you feel?"

"Tired, really tired and a little dizzy, I guess." James nods. Kendall moves his head up a little, seeming to look for something, before lying back down.

"How's Logan?" Kendall asks his friend, concern washing over him to find his friend curled up on the floor.

"Not good. He cried himself to sleep.. He's really broken up about Alex.. He blames himself." Kendall looks down.

"But it wasn't his fault."

"I know. But you told him to save Alex first and he didn't." Kendall sighs at that.

"And I asked him why he didn't before didn't I?" James nods. Kendall rubs a shaky hand through his hair. "Damn it..." he says, before almost punching the floor beside him in anger.

"Kendall…"

"I made him feel guilty about it..."

"He already did, Kendall."

"Yeah, maybe, but I made it worse…" he holds out his hand and punches the wall next to him weakly. "This is all so messed up... How did I not recognize Alex?"

"Kendall, please don't go blaming yourself over this too... I've got enough trouble convincing Logan that it's not his fault…"

Kendall looks at James, his face full of anger. But one look into his concerned friend's eyes makes him soften his look. And turn into a frown right after.

"James, is that… do you have more cuts in your face than before?" James stops dead in his tracks at that question.

"W-why would you say that?" Kendall eyes him carefully, even reaches out a hand to touch the long cuts, before James pushes him away. "What are you doing?"

"James, the other cuts are healing already, but there are new ones right there.." He says in a soft voice, pointing to his cheek, where a seemingly newer cut has formed right next to older ones.

"They're not new, Kendall. Look, why don't you lie back down, you need to rest." James pulls the blanket up to Kendall's shoulders again and moves away.

"James.." He starts and reaches out a hand to him. But before he has a chance to say more, slight shuffling can be heard from the hallway by their cell.

They both look up when the door opens. They gasp at the sight of Carlos being led through the door. The moment he's inside, the door is locked behind him and the other person walks away.

Carlos stands in the cell for a moment, not moving an inch. He doesn't look at his friends either. He holds his head down and seems to be shaking slightly, his face a lighter shade pale as he hugs his arms to his chest. James gets to his feet and slowly approaches his young friend.

"Carlos?" He softly calls out and walks closer as to where he can almost touch his friend. "Carlos?" He calls out again and puts a hand on his shoulder gently.

Carlos slowly looks up at him with big eyes, filled with fear. "It was so horrible, James… I was alone and it was dark and you weren't there to talk to…" James quickly envelops him in a tight hug, giving him a slight déjà vu, as he seems to be doing this a lot lately. "I was so scared… I fell asleep and kept seeing her face right there… she screamed so loud..." He trembles in James' arms and the taller boy slowly guides them both to the corner, where their other friends lay.

Kendall watches with worry as James guides Carlos to sit on the floor, right in between him and Logan.

"Please don't let me go back there... I don't want to go in that room again..." James' heart nearly breaks at the pleading eyes in front of him. He just hugs his friend closer.

"I won't, Carlos. You don't have to go back in there…"

He slowly lets Carlos go and his younger friend just nods, his body still trembling, but he now seems to notice his other friends.

"Are they okay?" He quietly asks James. James shares a quick look with Kendall, who looks down and then shifts his gaze to Logan.

"After they took you away, uhm, Shane took Logan for another project." Carlos just looks him in the eyes with concern etched on his face. "He wanted Logan to experience what it's like to be a real doctor."

"What does that mean?"

James sighs before continuing. "They uh, they inject two people with a deadly virus and told Logan he had to cure them in 30 minutes without telling him what they had or how to cure them." Carlos gasps and quickly glances at Logan, before looking at James again.

"Did he do it?"

"He found out what the virus was and even made an antidote, but..." Carlos sits up further.

"But what?" James is afraid to look at him.

"He only managed to save one of them... he had the antidote at the other person's lips, but the time was up and they forced it out of his hands.." James ends quietly, now looking at his hands.

"Oh my god… so they just let the other person die? Poor Logie..." Carlos looks at Logan sleeping on the floor, his cheeks tearstained. "He must feel awful… I can't believe they made him do something like that... Who does that? Who makes a person choose between life or death?" He looks at James, looking disgusted. "What kind of a sick person does that to another human being?"

James doesn't respond. "So, who were they?" James looks up at Carlos' question.

"What?"

"Who were the people injected with the virus? Did Logan know them?" James shares a helpless look with Kendall, but he seems at a total loss whether or not to tell him.

"Uh, well, one of them was Kendall..." Carlos' gasps at this and quickly looks at Kendall, before moving his awaiting eyes back to James. "The other…uh.."

"Well, who was it?" James takes a deep breath. "James? Who was it?"

James shares one more look with Kendall, who bats his eyes down and nods, before looking back into Carlos' eyes.

"It was Alex, Carlos…" A soft voice suddenly exclaims from next to them. They both look over and see Logan, who is shaking, clearly trying to keep another batch of tears from spilling. His voice was so soft, they hardly heard him.

"What was that, Logie?" Carlos asks him and Logan gulps before looking Carlos in the eyes and opening his mouth.

"It was Alex… Shane made me choose between Kendall and Alex…" Logan's lips quiver as he says this, everyone watching Carlos to see his reaction.

"That's not possible..." Is the only thing Carlos says, his eyes full of disbelief.

"I didn't recognize him at first, I mean, we haven't seen him in a while, but then he opened his eyes and he said my name and I knew… It was him, Carlos, it was Alex…" Carlos starts to breathe heavier beside James.

"No…" He whispers.

"I tried to save him, I really did… I had the beaker at his mouth, when Shane came in and they pried the beaker from my hands and threw it to the floor… I tried, Carlos, I really did... But they wouldn't let me… I'm so sorry…" He chokes on his words as he leaps over to Carlos and clings to him, sobbing loudly. Carlos doesn't react, he just lets Logan cry, while he stares ahead.

"Carlos..." James softly starts, putting a hand on Carlos' shoulder. "It wasn't his fault… Carlos?"

Carlos doesn't respond, he just stares ahead and sits there, with Logan clinging to his shirt, sobbing.

"Carlos, I'm sorry… Please forgive me… I didn't meant to…I'm sorry…" He keeps repeating over and over, but Carlos doesn't respond.

James throws a plead of help towards Kendall, who is also watching the exchange.

"Carlos? Are you okay?" Kendall tries, before sharing another look with James. "Carlos? Please say something."

"Buddy?" James watches Carlos and looks on in concern when he sees Carlos clenching and unclenching his fists. He can see anger building up in his face as well, clenching his jaw, hardening his features.

Somehow it reminds him of Gustavo whenever he got mad. His face became like this before he started minor earthquakes. But this process is moving slower.

He watches as Carlos closes his eyes for a moment. When he opens them again, James tries not to gasp. The darkness is back and it looks worse the before. It pains him to think it, but he feels a little terrified for and of his friend.

"Carlos?" He squeaks out, trying not to flinch when his friend looks up now. He wouldn't want to be in his line of sight right now.

"I don't blame him." His voice sounds low, dark, no emotion seems to be held in it. But James knows better, Kendall knows better, even Logan probably would if he wasn't still crying his eyes out.

"What?" James almost whispers. Then he does gasp as Carlos turns his blackened orbs towards him.

"I don't blame Logan." He slowly turns his head back and James shoots Kendall a terrified look. "You hear that, Logie? I don't blame you."

It feels weird to have him use that nickname with the voice he uses right now. Even though the guys have seen this dark Carlos before, it still chills them to the bone. It's not right. They shouldn't feel terrified of him. But right now, they're very glad he's not mad at them.

Logan's cries subdue a little and he lets go of his tight hold on Carlos. He wipes his eyes.

"I'm sorry… I got your shirt wet..." He slowly looks up and finds Carlos not looking at him. He looks at the other guys and frowns at their nervous faces.

"I don't blame you, Logan. You did what you could." Logan frowns at the coldness in his friends' voice.

"I really did, I mean I..." He stops talking when Carlos looks at him with dark eyes, giving Logan chills.

"I said, I don't blame you." His voice sounds a little harsher now and he turns his head back. He sits against the wall and aims his gaze at the cell door.

His friends follow his gaze and look at each other for a moment. This can't be good…

Kendall lies back down fully, but keeps his eyes open. Meanwhile, Logan and James also sit with their backs against the wall, eyeing Carlos and each other once a while.

The thickness in the air could be cut with a knife. Everyone's afraid of saying a word.

"Carlos…" Logan starts with a small voice.

"I'm fine." Is his harsh reply, making Logan shrink back against the wall.

With this the four friends sit in silence. Only some water can be heard dripping somewhere in the distance. They sit like this for what seems like hours, when they can hear footsteps coming down the hall.

Three of the guys tense up and exchange looks. But Carlos just keeps his cold stare on the cell door.

"Wow, if I didn't know better, I would've thought you were dead." Shane laughs from outside the cell. "It's so quiet in here." He opens the cell and walks inside with his three men in tow. "What's wrong with you boys? Was I too hard on you?"

The three friends roll their eyes as they hear the mock concerned tone in Shane's voice.

He laughs again, but soon stops when he sees Carlos staring at him.

"What's with him?" he asks the other three, pointing at Carlos. The friends don't respond, they just avert their gazes to Carlos as well.

Shane just stares back at him. "What is it? Why are you staring at me? You like me that much, huh?" He laughs again, but the guys can tell he's starting to feel nervous. The big men just smirk with him with their arms crossed over their chests. "Come on, Carlitos, tell me what's wrong?"

He steps closer towards Carlos who follows his movements, but his look doesn't change. Shane opens his mouth as he stares Carlos up and down investigating, but closes his mouth again.

"Seriously, what's with the staring?" He asks the other boys on the floor, who don't respond and keep looking at their fourth friend. "I think he really must like what he sees, huh?" He turns his back towards the guys and laughs at his men, before suddenly being thrown to the floor and turned on his back.

He looks up with shocked eyes to find Carlos on top of him, looking angrier than ever.

"You know, not that I haven't been longing for this moment, but what do you think you're doing?" Shane asks him, a small amused smile on his face. Then suddenly his breath is cut off as Carlos clenches his teeth and wraps one hand around his neck nightly. His other hand comes up, holding a scalpel, which he seems to have pulled out of thin air.

James' gasp goes unnoticed at this as everyone has their full attention on Carlos and Shane.

The three big men in the back get ready to rush forward, when Carlos holds the scalpel to Shane's throat.

"Don't come closer. I will use this." Carlos tells them and they angrily stay back.

Shane suddenly smiles big. "Ooh, nice scalpel. Hm, where have I seen that before? Oh, yeah, I remember now. Nice to see it's being used." He turns his head slightly to smile an evil grin at James, who gulps and tries to hide.

Carlos quickly pulls Shane's head back.

"This isn't about the scalpel." Carlos hisses.

"Oh, I know. But do be careful, the previous user forgot the wipe the blood from it." Carlos looks at it for a moment and then shakes his head.

He doesn't see the sudden shocked glance Kendall gives James, who refuses to look at him.

"Stop distracting me." Carlos warns and holds the scalpel to his face.

"You know, I've been dreaming of this very moment. Only there weren't any other people in here. And there wasn't a scalpel involved. But I don't mind, I'm all for new experiences." Shane grins, while Carlos looks disgusted.

"Shut up, just shut up! I am going to kill you… You killed my brother… He was only 11, 11!" Carlos yells at him, the hand holding the scalpel wavering slightly as his whole body trembles with anger. "And you murdered him and you even made Logie feel guilty about it… I am going to cut you open, slowly, just so you can feel the pain they felt…" Carlos holds the scalpel to Shane's face, trembling, but pushing down enough to make blood come out.

But Shane suddenly starts to laugh. "Oh, Carlos, you crack me up…"

Carlos looks confused. "I'm holding a scalpel to your face, Shane, I don't see what you have to laugh about."

"I'm laughing because you don't have a killer inside of you. You don't have an evil bone in your body, Carlos. You're not going to kill me. You'd like to hurt me, but you're not going to."

"Yes, I will. I'll do it right now." Carlos tells him, but his voice is wavering and the hand holding the scalpel shakes even more.

"See, you can't do it. You can't hurt other people." Shane tells him and holds out his hand, tightly grasping Carlos' hand. Carlos struggles, but Shane grabs his hand tighter, until Carlos cries out and lets the scalpel fall to the floor.

Shane pushes Carlos off of him and gets up, leaving Carlos to sit on the floor, looking upset.

He brushes some dirt from his clothes and looks at Carlos with some pity, before kneeling down in front of him.

"Don't feel bad, Carlos. It takes a long time to kill someone without feeling remorse. I mean, I even felt a tiny bit of remorse when I killed your little brother. But then it went away, just like that." He clicks his fingers and smiles. "Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it, someday."

He gets up and walks back to the three men, when suddenly Carlos jumps up and lunges for him, jumping on his back and holding him tight, trying to punch and kick him. Shane rolls his eyes and looks annoyed. He clicks his fingers again and two of the men grab Carlos, who struggles in their grasp, still kicking and screaming.

"Hey! Let him go." Shane turns around in surprise to find Kendall standing on his feet, looking determined and angry.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, let him go." Kendall says in a warning tone, his jaw and fists clenched.

"Oh, so now you're going to be the leader, Kendall? I was wondering what was keeping you."

"Just let Carlos go. He doesn't know what he's doing." Shane walks closer to Kendall.

"He doesn't know what he's doing? He seemed to know perfectly well what he was doing when he held a scalpel to my face."

"Well, what do you expect, Shane? You killed his little brother and you killed a girl right in front of him. He's not going to hug you for it." Kendall yells at him.

"Hm, now what's another dream." Shane suddenly smiles, making Kendall feel nauseous.

"Stop talking about him like that!"

"Oh, Kendall. You're just jealous that I don't feel that way about you."

"Don't make me throw up." Kendall sneers at him. "Look at you. Who would ever want to be with an ugly ass face like yours?"

Shane's smile fades slightly. "I am not ugly."

"Oh, but you are. I know you're the one who made James think he's ugly. But I know why you did it. You know James is a lot better looking than you are and you can't stand it."

"I'd stop talking now if I were you."

Kendall just smirks. "No, I don't think I will. Because I think I'm getting to you, aren't I?" Shane doesn't respond and Kendall walks towards him and starts to circle him. "Any why is that, Shane? Could it be that you have really low self-esteem? Which you can only get over by hurting other people? That's it, isn't it. You feel so bad about yourself that you have to make other people feel worse just so you can feel better. I don't blame you. I mean, with a face like yours, who wouldn't feel bad. You were teased a lot in school, weren't you?"

Kendall just keeps on going and everyone just watches the exchange in silence. Logan and James keep their eyes on Shane and suddenly see a smle appearing on is face.

"Uh, Kendall…" James starts.

"…were you also the last to be picked at every sport? Who were you? The fat kid, the nerd? Who?"

"Kendall, maybe you should stop…" Logan also says as the smile on Shane's face becomes bigger.

But Kendall ignores them and keeps talking, until suddenly Shane starts to chuckle and lets it go into full-blown laughter.

"Why are you laughing? Have you lost your mind?" Kendall asks him and Shane stops laughing and grabs him by the throat, squeezing tightly. Kendall's eyes widen as he tries to pry his hand away.

"Kendall!" Logan and James yell out in panic.

"You know, I am getting so sick of all of you. Of playing all these games. I've been waiting for all of you to break down, but here you are, with enough strength to still taunt me and attack me." He keeps hold of Kendall's throat, while Kendall can't breath and slowly starts to slide to the floor as he struggles to get loose. "Well, I've had it. I'm done playing games. It's time to get down to business." He harshly lets go of Kendall and he falls to the floor, coughing and gasping as he struggles to breathe. Logan and James rush towards him and try to calm him down.

Shane stands back, watching them.

"Take him back to solitary. I'll deal with him later." He points to Carlos and the big men holding him, drag him away.

"No, wait, don't make me go back there… James! James, you promised… James!" He screams as he is led down the hall. James watches with sad eyes as he stays with Kendall and Logan, who softly rubs circles on Kendall's back, to calm him down.

"Now as for you." Shane says as he points to the three guys on the floor. They look up in slight fear. "I will make you all break down, if it's the last thing I do."

The menacing tone in his voice sends shivers down their spine.

He waits until the three men all complete again. "Take them into our playroom. Time to make them pay."

The three men grin evilly as they walk towards the three friends, who shiver and struggle as they grab them and drag them away…

**A/N Uhoh…**

**Sorry for the slight cliffhanger. Thanks for all the amazing reviews and story and favorite alerts and all. I'm really grateful and it's good to read how much you like this story **

**I'm not going to say anything about the next chapters, only that the games are over. But that might be clear away from the story itself ;)**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter and until next time…**

**Love, Baxxie**


	11. Chapter 11 Silence is Golden

Chapter 11 Silence is Golden…

The guys struggle as they are led into a new room. They can't see it fully, since it's so dark. But Shane quickly turns on the lights, making them all gasp.

The 'playroom' Shane was talking about look more like a dungeon than anything. Several smaller cells are lined up next to each other. Each look like they were used centuries ago. The smell that lingers in the hallway makes the guys gag. Just opposite of the cells is a larger room, which makes this whole prison just look ten time worse.

Chains hang on these walls as well, just like their previous cell, but these have dried blood on them. There are different devices in the room, which they recognize from their history lessons back in school. A torture chamber is what it's called. They all realize it and exchange terrified looks with each other.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Shane suddenly tells them from close behind, making them jump. "Yeah, I was keeping this for a special occasion. Looks like the time has arrived now. You see, when I said I was tired of playing games, I meant it. Every time I played a game with you, you somehow recovered from it, one way or another. I'm not saying you all reacted healthily, but you weren't exactly shaking either. So here's my final solution; all of you are getting your own cell."

Their eyes widen at this. "Fun, right? I thought you'd like that. And as you can see, there are only three cells here. That means one of you will either go into solitary, like sweet, innocent Carlos, or; they will go into my favorite play area across the hall. Right now this means you're lucky, because carlos is already in solitary. Oh, I almost forgot!" His eyes suddenly light up and he eagerly walks towards an empty wall facing all the cells.

"Look what I had installed." He grabs a remote control from his back pocket and presses a button. The guys watch as they see a big white screen coming down from the wall. "Cool, right? I just figured, why should we be the only ones to enjoy your camerawork?" The guys frown. "Watch, this is my favorite channel." He presses another button and the guys gasp.

Right there on the screen is Carlos. Because the room is dark, they can see the infrared light illuminating him in a strange green glow. He is sitting with his back against the wall, knees pulled up to his chest and his arms tightly pulled around them. His head is bent forward and he rests his nose on his arms as he rocks back and forth. His eyes are big and the guys can see he's terrified.

Just then, he moves up and runs towards the wall with full speed, only to be bounced back to the floor. He lies there for a second, before getting up and jumping the wall, pounding it, kicking it. His mouth is wide open and anyone can tell he's screaming at the top of his lungs. He punches the wall a few times more, before sliding to the floor in a defeated, sobbing heap.

At that moment, the screen goes dark again. The guys look at Shane, who holds the remote with a grin.

"Isn't it just the saddest thing you've ever seen?" He chuckles. "Oh my god, I could just watch that all day. But I have to say, for me personally, that show would be so much better if he stopped trying to escape, you know? He's got way too much spirit left in him. Every episode ends the same way. It's getting a little boring."

"Just let him out. He didn't even put a scratch on you." Kendall suddenly mentions, looking annoyed. Shane turns his head to him.

"You know what? You're right. I will let him out. But, before I do, I should get you all settled in. Lock Logan here up in cell number 1, chain the blonde up in 2 and have our pretty Face here installed in the play area." James eyes grow wide as he hears this.

"Wait, what? No, I don't want to go in there.. why me?" He asks in panic as the big man starts to drag him away from his friends, who stare after him in horror.

"Hey, wait a minute.. It's supposed to be my turn!" Kendall yells as another big man tries to shove him inside a cell. Logan just watches from the bars after he is shoved roughly in the first cell.

"Oh, that's right. I was keeping an order in here, wasn't I?" Shane smiles and looks like he thinks it over thoroughly. "Hm, what to do?" He says as he taps a finger on his chin. "Oh, wait, I remember now. This actually is Kendall's turn after all. Because you see, today I am going to show you what happens when you insult me."

Shane grins in Kendall's direction, who in turn frowns at him.

"Chain him up in the play area. Make sure he has a good view of his pretty friend." He just keeps his smile on Kendall, while the said blonde is dragged into the play area himself. He watches, as James is strapped to a metal slab in the middle of the room.

He tries not to wince when his own arms are lifted high in the air and his wrists are safely secured in chains. The metal slab that holds a terrified James is not being turned in a vertical position. He is directly across from Kendall now.

"kendall? James? Don't hurt them, Shane, please!" Logan's pleading voice comes from the first cell. Shane rolls his eyes and walks over to the door, closing it tightly, but not before yelling out:

"Don't worry, doctor Mitchell. You're next!"

Logan's muffled yelling can be heard outside the door, but the men in the room choose to ignore it.

"So, here we are." Shane clasps his hands together.

"I thought you said you were done playing games?" Kendall questions as he glares at Shane.

"Oh, but I am. This isn't a game anymore. You see, before, you had influence on the situation. Your friends stayed alive, because you saved them. Now, they will get hurt, because you couldn't keep your mouth shut. See how there's a difference?"

"You're insane…" Kendall states and Shane walks closer.

"Yes, I might be. Which only spells bad news for you and your friends, doesn't it?" Shane whispers now. Kendall glares back.

"You're not going to get away with this!" He screams, while tugging on his chains. Shane walks back to James.

"You're really not getting it, are you? The more you talk back to me, the more your friends are going to suffer. Do you not see that? Because I thought it was pretty obvious."

Kendall watches as Shane turns around to grab something. He can see James' eyes widening and the big men quickly gag him with a bandana.

"What are you doing?" Kendall asks, still not seeing anything, but just feeling the panic coming off of James as he writhes on the table.

"let's say you talked back to me ten times today. That would mean ten times of James having to feel THIS!" He yells the last word as he turns around and cracks a whip on James' torso. He cries out in pain.

"What are you doing? Are you insane?" Shane hits James again and again. "Stop it, you're hurting him!"

"Eleven, Kendall." Shane mutters before lashing James with the whip again. James cries out and struggles in his restraints. His eyes are squeezed shut and he cries out all eleven times Shane hits him.

"Stop, that's enough!" Kendall screams at the top of his lungs. Shane smiles.

"And that makes it twelve." With one SNAP he lashes the whip across James' face, making Kendall stare in horror as James cries out even louder than before. Tears are streaming down his face.

James sobs and trembles on the table as Kendall just stares in shock at the red and angry streaks covering James' torso. But the one standing out is the long red, welt going covering the left side of his face, going from top to bottom. It looks so utterly painful alongside all the smaller cuts made before.

"You see what you did there, Kendall? You've messed up his perfect body. And his face… Oh, so sad…" Shane holds a hand in front of his mouth in fake concern.

"I didn't do that… You did…" Kendall grumbles from his chains. Shane raises his eyebrows.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Was that lucky number thirteen I heard?" He pulls the whip into the air and James closes his eyes in panic.

"No wait!" Kendall yells out.

"Too late." Shane replies and James' scream can be heard throughout the halls as the whip comes down a last time.

Kendall sits in shock, watching, as his friend lies on the metal slab no longer moving.

Shane wipes off the now bloody whip with a towel and hands the whip to one of his men. He walks towards Kendall, who can't take his eyes off his friend.

"Poor Kendall." He shakes his head. "Now do you see what happens when you say bad things about me?"

Kendall suddenly looks up at him with blazing eyes.

"You son of a bitch… You hurt him, you hurt my best friend!" He struggles in his chains as he tries to lunge for Shane. Shane just steps back and shakes his head again.

"Well, boys… Looks like Kendall here hasn't learned his lesson yet. Take this one into cell number 2 and bring the doctor in." The men nod and untie James, before on of them roughly throws him over his shoulder. Kendall still struggle in his chains like a wild animal.

"You're not going to get away with this, you hear me?" He keeps yelling at Shane, who just stares, looking unimpressed.

The men walk out into the hallway, where Logan is still yelling. He stops when they walk by and gasps when he sees James.

"Oh my god, James… what happened? What did you do to him?" He questions the men as they throw James onto the floor of the cell next to him. He kneels to the floor and puts his face to the bars that separate him and his friend. He sticks out his arm as far as he can, trying to reach him. "James?" He quietly calls out.

He almost reaches him, when suddenly his arms are yanked away.

"hey, what's going on? Let go of me!" he struggles in their grasp, but the big men quickly drag him into the play area.

"Logan? What is he doing here? Let go of him!" Kendall yells as he tries to free himself again.

"Kendall? What's going on? What happened to James?" Logan asks through panicked eyes. "Kendall?" But Kendall has gone silent, only left glaring at Shane who smiles again.

"Put him in the chair." His grin seems to grow as his men grab a chair from the corner and put it in the middle of the room, after pushing the now bloody metal slab away. Logan is roughly pushed into the chair.

"Hey, watch it!" He winces. Restraints are quickly put on his wrists and ankles. "Hi Kendall." He happily jokes as he now lined right in front of his friend. He makes funny faces and at any other time, Kendall would have laughed. But right now, he knows what's going to happen and he can only clench his jaw in anger.

"Right, so how about we explain things to Doctor Mitchell over here." Logan's funny mood is gone in an instant when being referred to as doctor. "Oh, I'm sorry. You lost your first patient before. How did his family take it when you told them? Oh, stupid me. He's already in solitary right now."

Kendall grumbles. "What was that, Kendall? Did you want to add something? I guess you would, since you were there and you saw the whole thing. So sad that he chose his best friend over his other friend's 11-year old brother, right?"

Logan just looks lost now as he keeps his eyes down.

"Leave him alone! He didn't do anything and you know it!" Kendall yells and Shane smiles.

"Ah, there we are. Logan, meet Kendall. We al know he has a bit of a temper. And right now, that will be your downfall." Logan looks up n confusion.

"What?"

"You saw James just now, didn't you? How would you feel if I told you that was all Kendall's fault?" Logan looks at Kendall with a questioning look.

"I'd say that you were insane?" Logan replies and chuckles slightly, but Kendall doesn't say anything.

"Oh, but it's all true, right Kendall? You see, I told him not to talk back to me anymore or James would get hurt. But again, you saw him. You do the math, professor." Shane tells him with a smile. Logan throws Kendall another confused look.

"I did't hurt James, you did, you asshole!" Kendall yells.

"He just won't listen." Shane tells Logan and shakes his head. "Watch." He walks over to Kendall and stands beside him, facing Logan. He puts his hand to his back and comes back to show a remote control in his hand. Logan's eyes widen in recognition.

"Kendall, why did you want to hurt James?" Shane asks, while keeping his eyes trained on Logan. Kendall turns his head towards Shane at the question.

"What? I didn't hurt James, you sick maniac!" But the second the words leave his mouth, a crying out from Logan makes him twist his head around in shock.

A buzzing sound is heard as Logan is gripping the sides of the chair tightly and his eyes are shut tight.

"Logan!" Immediately, the buzzing stops and Logan opens his eyes, gasping to catch his breath with eyes spread open.

"Now that, Kendall, was just another example of why you shouldn't talk back to people." Kendall watches Logan in shock.

"What the hell was that? What did you do?" Kendall asks, before the buzzing starts again and Logan thrusts in his chair. "Stop, stop it! You're hurting him!" He screams and it stops again.

"Kendall, I am really starting to lose my patience here." Kendall just stares at his friend breathing heavily in shock. Shane leans down towards him.

"You are absolutely insane…" Kendall shakes his head in disbelief. "You are the most insane person I have ever met…"

Shane sighs in annoyance, before turning a knob on his remote. The buzzing sound gets louder and Logan cries out while his whole body shakes in the chair.

"Hey! What is wrong with you? Shut that thing off! Stop it!" Kendall screams again and Shane turns the knob down again. Logan lets his head droop and his breathing is labored.

"Why are you.." Kendall starts, but is cut off quickly.

"Kendall, stop…" Kendall looks up.

"What?"

"Please stop…" Logan slowly picks his head up and looks at Kendall through half-lidded eyes.

"Logan, I don't.."

"Just stop talking…" His voice wavers now. "Sop talking back to him… It's what he wants… It's why he hurts me… Just don't say anything bad to him anymore…"

"Logan, I can't just let him do this to all of you. I have to defend you guys from this sick disaster of a person." Logan's body shakes again and he cries out as Shane once again shocks him.

"Kendall, please…" Logan cries out and the electricity is stopped once more. He slumps in the chair. "Why do you keep doing this?"

"yeah, that's what I want to know. Why are you doing this?" Kendall asks Shane in agreement.

"No, Kendall… I meant you…" Kendall watches up in surprise at this.

"What?" He half-whispers. 

"Do you not see what he's doing? Every time you talk back he shocks me. It hurt so much, but you are so busy lashing out at him that you won't even notice…" Logan chokes out.

"But I do notice…" Kendall quietly tells him in a pained voice.

"Then why do you keep going, Kendall? Why do you keep letting him hurt me?" Logan sobs quietly.

"i… I just wanted to…I wanted to defend you guys… Because I'm the leader and I… and I…" Kendall starts. "I don't know…" He suddenly whispers and Shane claps his hands.

"Oh, finally, we're getting somewhere." He happily grabs Logan's shoulders, making him hiss in pain. "Whoops, sorry."

"I'm sorry, Logan…" Kendall whispers with a silent tear running down his face.

"Please just stop trying to defend us all the time… You always get us in more trouble… And this one really hurt, Kendall… It really did…" Logan quietly says and Kendall just looks at him with pain in his eyes.

"Well, I think we're done here." Shane walks to the door, before suddenly turning around. "Oops, I almost forgot." He quickly turns the knob on his remote and watches with glee as Logan's body tremors from the shock coursing through him.

He then turns his gaze towards Kendall. His eyes widen as he sees the heavy course of electricity moving through his friend's body. He wants to scream out, but as he sees Shane's hand on the remote, he stops and sits back.

"Please stop…" he whispers so softly, Shane can barely hear him.

"Hm, what was that?" Shane exaggeratingly puts a hand to his ear to hear what Kendall said.

"Please stop." Kendall now pleads louder and he looks up at Shane with tears in his eyes. Shane smiles.

"Now there's a good boy." He pats Kendall's cheek like a child and turns the knob fully down.

Kendall watches with pain in his eyes as Logan's body stops shaking and eventually just stops moving in the chair.

The men walk over to Logan and untie him, before giving him the same treatment as James and throwing him over on of their shoulders and walking out the door.

"Take him to cell number 3." Shane orders as the last man left unhooks his chains and grabs hold of him.

"Wait, what about Carlos? You said you would let him out." Kendall questions Shane and he turns around to face him.

"I did say that, didn't I? What if I don't? What will you do, Kendall?" Kendall opens his mouth to say something before glancing around the room and remembering what just occurred.

"Nothing…" he quietly responds and Shane smiles again.

"Good, you really are a fast learner. Keep it up." Kendall is led out the door and quickly locked up in the last cell left. He looks next to him and bows his head in shame when he sees his two friends lying unconscious on the floor. He sits on the floor and lets his head rest against the wall.

What did he do? How did he let things get this far? He lost control… If he had kept his mouth shut, they would be fine now. Well, maybe not fine. But they wouldn't be lying on the floor out cold like this.

Logan was right. They did always get into more trouble, because he liked getting under people's skin. He didn't do it to defend the guys. He liked to aggravate him. That's why he did it to Gustavo. Plus, another reason he did it to Shane… If he was the one who was doing the insulting, maybe he would leave the other guys alone. Guess he thought wrong…

He suddenly hears footsteps and voices down the hall. He gets up and walks to the bars. His eyes widen when he sees who the voices belong to.

"Kendall? Oh my god, I am so glad to see you… That place is really horrible…" He can't talk when he sees Carlos being led right by him. "Why are Logan and James sleeping? Are they that tired? By the way, what happened to our old room? Wasn't that bigger?" Kendall frowns at Carlos' strange questions, but doesn't answer and just watches as his youngest friend is taking away, into the play area.

"Poor thing. I've locked him up there for so long, he really is losing his mind." Shane actually says as he comes to stand next to Kendall, leaning against the bars. "Oh, by the way, I have something to tell you. Come closer." Kendall hesitantly leans in closer, while Shane begins to whisper. "I'm going to make a man out of him tonight." Kendall's eyes grow in horror.

Shane smiles excitedly and winks at Kendall, before putting his finger to his lips. "Shhhh, it's our little secret."

"No, Carlo.." Shane quickly puts a hand over his mouth.

"Uh-uh." He says as he shakes his finger. "Remember what we talked about? You scream or say anything to your friends about this and they will be the ones paying the price. Got it?" Kendall hesitantly looks back and forth between his friends, who are still out cold. He closes his eyes and bows his head before nodding his head ever so slowly.

"Good. Wish me luck. I've been dreaming of this moment ever since I caught him. God, this is so exciting!" Kendall fights the urge not to throw up at what Shane is about to do.

He also fights the urge to somehow bend all these bars out of shape and kill Shane right then and there, before he can hurt Carlos. Carlos… oh god… He knew exactly what Shane was going to do and he didn't even try to stop him… If Carlos found out, if anyone found out, they'd never forgive him…

What was he going to do? He couldn't just sit there, while Carlos was being… No, he didn't want to think about that… He misunderstood. That's not what Shane wanted.

Who was he kidding; of course it's what Shane wanted. All those looks he used to give Carlos. They weren't small signs. They were huge signs, pointing out exactly how Shane felt about the young boy, not matter how disgusting it sounded.

It made Kendall sick to his stomach to think about what was going on right now… Across the hall…

Carlos is being led into the 'play area' and scrunches up his nose in disgust at the sight of the blood on the metal slab and the smell of it.

"Where are we?" He asks as Shane shuts the door behind them.

"This is my favorite room is this whole space. You like it?" he asks nervously, as if he were showing his date his own apartment for the first time. Carlos raises his eyebrows.

"It's a little too bloody for me…"

"Well, don't worry. We won't be staying here. I have reserved a special area just for you." Carlos starts to feel a little nervous as his senses slowly come back.

"Where are my friends?" He asks, not even remembering just seeing two of them out cold and Kendall afraid to speak to him.

"Oh, don't worry. They're safe. Two of them are sound asleep in fact." Carlos nervously darts his eyes to the grinning men beside him who seem to be leading him in the direction of a separate room.

The minute he steps in, he knows this isn't a good situation. A bed stands in the middle of the room. Restraints can be seen hanging in each corner.

He turns around, but comes face to face with a very excited looking Shane, who quickly grabs his wrist as he tries to get past him.

"Where are you going?"

"Uh, to the door.. I uh… I have to go to the bathroom." He stammers as he tries again.

"I don't think so. Right now it's time for you and I to have some private fun." His heart thumps in his ears loudly as Shane walks closer to him and tries to guide him towards the bed.

In one move he tries to run around him, but the big men still in the room quickly grab his arms and pull him back.

"Oh, Carlos. Why are you running away? Aren't you tired of always being the innocent one?" Shane asks in a slow tone of voice, gently tracing his finger over Carlos' right arm.

"I'm not innocent… I-I attacked you…" He stammers, but Shane chuckles.

"You are so adorable." He gets so close, Carlos can almost feel his breath on his face and he tries to back away as much as he can. "And I hate adorable." Confusion is now mixed in with Carlos' fear as he stares at Shane.

"I loved it when you attacked me. That fire in your eyes… Wow." He says as the big men pull Carlos backwards, making him fly onto the bed. His heart beats faster and he struggles to get free, but the restraints are soon put around his wrists and ankles tightly. They make it impossible for him to flee. His eyes grow as Shane crawls onto the bed and hovers over him. He leans down to his ear and whispers:

"Tonight, you are getting rid of that last bit of innocence, my dear Carlos. Tonight, I am going to turn you into a man…"

Kendall sits in the dark, his back against the wall and draws his knees to his chest, before letting tears take over as the screams begin…

**A/N I'm sorry for doing this, people. But in this story, anything goes.**

**Thank you for all the support once again and I'm hoping you sill want to keep reading and reviewing after this chapter. Don't hate me, it's all fiction. Plus, Carlos is my fave, so whumpage will always be a part of it.**

**Anyway, don't hate me too much and let me know what you think **

**Until next time!**

**Love, Baxxie**


	12. Chapter 12 It's a grey world

Chapter 12 It's a Grey World

"There. Now was that so bad?" the voice rings in his head. Carlos wants to scream at him, but he screamed so much already, his voice has given up. "Oh, that was so amazing… I always dreamed of it, but to actually experience it? It was even better than I imagined. How was it for you? I mean, I was your first, right? So, how'd I do?"

He just stares at the ceiling and tries to ignore his voice. He doesn't even think he did something wrong? That he didn't just force himself upon anyone. Like this was some romantic lovemaking… he closes his eyes, tears well up once again. He already cried so much before, he didn't think there were any tears left. But he surprises himself when a lone tear spills down his cheek.

"Aw, come on, Carlitos. Don't be sad again…" His body stiffens as His hand caresses his cheek. He wants to move, but the chains are keeping him firmly in place. He does squirm and moves his head to the side. "I promise, you were really good. No need to feel bad about what we did. Everyone does it."

Everyone does it? No need to feel bad about it? What was wrong with him?

The hand tries to touch his cheek again, but he now moves his head to the other side.

"Oh come on, honey. Don't be like that. I love you." He can hear the smile in his voice and tries his best not to throw up.

He feels so sick and disgusted. How did this happen? Why didn't anyone stop it? He should have done something, anything… But all he did was scream at the top of his lungs while it happened.

He wants to forget it, ignore the pain he feels, pretend the body never pressed down on him. It didn't happen, it couldn't have…

He believed in happiness in the world. He always saw the good things in life. He lived a life of innocence, like a child who would never grow up. He just didn't want to grow up. But being in here slowly changed him.

He wants to think of kittens and rainbows and a child's laughter. But now none of that makes sense anymore. The world starts to go grey. Kittens scratch, rainbows come with rain and children cry and grow up.

He was the one who cheered up his friends when they were down. He could make them see the good things in life too, make them laugh. But what did they have to look forward to now? No one will ever find them here. They can only cry now, while they waste away in this dungeon.

He's no longer innocent now. In a matter of hours, he has fully grown up and the child once in plain sight inside of him, has gone. He doesn't feel like laughing anymore, not ever.

"Carlos? Honey? Is anyone in there?" the voice calls out to him. His face moves closer and he quickly moves away. "So that's really how you feel, huh?"

A loud slap is heard as the hand hits his cheek, throwing his head the other direction. He doesn't react to it, making the man groan in frustration. "Alright, fine! Be that way! If that's the thanks I get for loving you, for being nice to you… I was so gentle, I wanted this to be perfect for you. But I realize now that you don't even care. You never appreciated me. So, fine! Ignore me, be mad at me. But don't expect me to be nice again next time!"

Next time?

"Clean him up and put his clothes on. I'm tired of his games. Put him with the others." With that he hears a door slam and Shane has left the room.

He could relax now. But he sinks into his own mind more and more. He can feel the chains coming off, but he hardly acknowledges it. When they tell him to get up and move, he sits up, ignoring the pain without a care in the world. He stands, but nearly hits the ground as he is shaking so much and his legs feel weak. But strong arms haul him up and force him to walk.

He feels the last bits of disgust and sadness ebbing away as they clean him roughly. Numbness takes over and the world has permanently lost all color …

_Back in cell 1_, soft groaning can be heard as the occupant slowly wakes up.

Kendall, who's been sitting in the same place for hours with his hands now covering his ears, looks up. He stands at once when he hears the groaning again and tries to see his friend from his own cell.

"Logan?" he softly calls out, careful not to wake his other friend, who still lies motionless on the floor.

The groaning becomes louder in response and he can faintly see his friend moving around.

"Oh god…" he lets out with a high voice as he grabs his head in pain.

"Logan? Try to stay calm, okay?"

"K-kendall? It hurts, Kendall… My head hurts…" It pains him to see his smart friend like this. He tries to repress the memories of him being electrocuted in front of him and shakes his head.

"I know, Logan, I know…" he softly replies and tries to hold in the tears.

Logan continues to hold his head, but he opens his eyes towards his left. They widen when he sees a bloody form on the floor of the other cell.

Then, he remembers.

"James?" he softly calls out. "James, buddy, can you hear me?"

Kendall looks in awe as Logan slowly moves his body towards the bars of the other cell. He hisses ever so often, but he scotches over until he can rest his head on the bars.

"James?" he calls out again, a little louder now. He hisses when he tries to sit up a little more and accidentally hits his head on the bars a little. He breathes heavily when he is finally half leaning on the bars and the wall behind him.

"It's no use, Logan… He's been out cold ever since they threw him in there. I haven't even heard him make a single noise." Kendall tells him.

Logan groans again and suddenly grabs hold of the bars with one hand, steadying himself.

"You should lie back down.." Kendall starts as he stares at his friend in concern.

"I'm fine, Kendall. I just want to know how James is doing and help him.." Kendall sighs. He knows his friend can get very stubborn when he goes into his doctor-mode.

"Logan…" he starts anyway.

"I'm fine, alright? It's James I'm worried about. His beating was a lot worse then my shocks." Kendall frowns a little at the annoyed tone showing through.

"But…"

"Just stop, okay? Just let me do this, Kendall." His voice has gone louder now and annoyance isn't the only thing Kendall can hear. Still, he decides to listen and just watches his friend try to reach James by sticking his hand through the bars.

Logan tries to reach as far as possible, but can't manage. He sighs in frustration and tries again. Again, he fails and lets his head fall back, wincing at his hits the wall behind him. He closes his eyes for a moment, his mouth formed into a scowl.

"I don't get it." He suddenly says and opens is eyes. He looks straight at Kendall, who frowns.

"What?"

"Why couldn't you listen? Did you not hear Shane telling you he was hurting James because of the things you said? Did you not realize he dragged us in here, mad as hell, because you offended him?" Kendall is surprised to hear the accusing tone n his friend's voice.

"I just…"

"You couldn't just let it go, could you? Every time you need to open your mouth one last time. It's bad enough you do it to Gustavo, but Shane? Did you not think about what might happen if you pushed him too far, Kendall? I mean, look at us. He used a whip on James, he shocked me and god knows what he might do to Carlos when he's let out of that horrible room."

Kendall gulps. Logan doesn't know what happened to Carlos yet. He doesn't know that Carlos is no longer in solitary. Shane already did something to him.

"Kendall?" He snaps out of his thoughts to see Logan intently looking at him. "Are you even listening? Did you hear a word I said?"

"I'm sorry…" he mumbles quietly.

"What was that?" Logan asks him.

"I'm sorry, okay!" He yells, making Logan shrink a little and wince. "I'm sorry." He says again, using a softer voice. He runs a hand through his hair. "I was just trying to do something… I wanted to hurt him for hurting you guys. I was so tired of seeing his grin all the time while all of us keep getting hurt… I just wanted to stand up to him…"

"Kendall, this isn't some bully who'll run to his mommy when you insult him. He has the power to kill all of us. He showed us that before by killing two innocent people, just to upset us. Did you really think it would help if you insulted him?"

Kendall doesn't respond and just looks at the floor while he rests his head against the bars. Logan sighs.

"just think before you talk next time.." Logan says in a softer voice now, his head pounding too much to think straight. Maybe if he could, he would have realized how much his words hurt Kendall.

But before anyone can respond, James starts to move. He moans and rolls onto his chest. When he does, his eyes open wide and he breathes heavily, before squeezing his eyes shut and clenching his fists. Kendall winces as he sees his friend ending up with his open wounds on the floor. James grits his teeth and tries to breath as the pain shoots through him.

"James.. James, try to calm down, okay?" Logan tries to soothe quietly through the bars, while Kendall just watches. "James, I need you to roll on your back, alright? Can you do that? James?"

"It h-hurts…" He hisses and Kendall can see tears starting to roll down his cheeks.

"I know… But if you roll onto your back, it will feel better, I promise." Logan suggests.

Kendall watches as James slowly pushes himself up with one arm and starts to roll onto his back, while breathing heavily and his eyes closed.

When he finally lands on his back, he opens his eyes wide and stares at the ceiling.

"Oh god… it feels like my chest is on fire.. and my face…" He cries out and starts to sob slightly.

"I'm sorry, buddy… I want to make it feel better, but I can't reach you right now.. Just try to say calm and don't move too much, okay?" Logan tells him and James nods.

In the meantime, Kendall himself has started to cry again as he watches both his friends in pain. He did this, he got them hurt. Why couldn't he keep his mouth shut?

"I'm so sorry…" His voice chokes. James slightly turns to look at him, while Logan looks away.

"Kendall, for what?"

"If I hadn't opened my mouth… You were getting hurt and I still kept going…"

"Kendall, it's not your fault.. You weren't holding that whip.." Kendall's breath hitches at the thought of that whip hitting flesh and the cries that came after. And James shudders at the same thought. "Shane did this, Kendall, not you. Okay?"

Kendall slowly nods, but he doesn't mean it. He still feels guilty about what happened, but he doesn't want to upset James even further.

Just then, the door of the playroom opens. All three boys whip their heads towards the door in fear of what will happen.

But as soon as they recognize the person coming out, two of the boys look shocked.

"Carlos? When did you get here? How.." Logan starts as he frowns and tries to stand, but feels to weak and sits down again.

James watches from the floor as best as he can while all three big men are leading Carlos towards them. They wear big smiles as they push Carlos forward.

"Hm, now where to put him? Do you have any preference?" Carlos just stares ahead, giving no acknowledgement to even having heard the question. They all grin and share looks.

The boys frown and watch their friend with concerned eyes as he doesn't react at all.

"Put him in with pretty boy, he's way too clean now." They laugh and open James's cell door before roughly pushing Carlos inside.

Kendall watches in silence, still remembering all the screams coming from his friend last night. He follows Carlos' every move and how he just walks towards a corner and sits down. His back is against the wall, his legs loose on the ground and his eyes are turned to the floor.

"Carlos?" Logan calls out as the first one to break the silence. His friend doesn't look up. "Carlos!" He calls a little louder and Carlos looks at him.

"Hm?"

"Are you alright? I mean, you were in solitary and then suddenly you're in the playroom? How did that happen? Did Shane do something? What did he do?" Logan says now on his knees and holding the bars.

"I'm fine." Is the only response he gets from Carlos as he turns his head forward again.

"Carlos?" Kendall hesitantly asks from the bars on the other side. His voice sounds small and he gives Carlos a concerned and guilty look.

Carlos looks at him, but once he remembers Kendall watched him go in, he looks away again.

"I'm fine." He repeats.

"No, you're not… Please, carlos, don't shut us out."

Logan and James listen in confusion.

"I am fine." Carlos says again.

"Carlos, I know what happened, okay? Shane told me what he was going to do and I heard you screaming.." Suddenly, Carlos turns his head sharply.

"He told you what he was going to do?" He asks in a low almost whispering voice.

"I…"

"You knew…" Carlos says, his head turned back towards the front again as he seems to think it over.

"Uh, guys? A little more information, please?" Logan asks and Kendall can see the confused look on his friends face. He goes to open his mouth, but then sees Carlos staring him down. He frowns, but understands the message and looks down.

"uh, I can't. It's none of my business.." Logan frowns.

"Oh, so now you can keep your mouth shut?" Kendall hangs his head in guilt, as Logan looks even more annoyed.

"Carlos?" James asks in a pained voice from the floor. Carlos looks at him with a sigh. "Would you mind telling a joke? I just need some distraction from the pain in my chest and frankly, the mood in here is a little depressing." He laughs a little, but winces right away.

"What's the point? Why laugh when we have nothing to laugh about anymore." Carlos softly tells him. James frowns.

"Well maybe not right now, but we can't just sit here and let that guy beat us."

"We're going to die anyway, so why bother. He won. Let's just deal with that, it'll be a whole lot easier."

All three guys listen in shock at how their once bubbly friend seems to have given up completely.

"Carlos, you can't be serious?" Logan asks him.

"It's true, isn't it? He's not going to let us go, might as well just go with it." Carlos replies in a monotone voice now.

"Aw, why such a grim tone? I thought we had a great time before." Shane's voice makes them look up in surprise, all for Carlos that is. His eyes are locked on Carlos, who slowly looks up without emotion.

"Why don't you just kill us now and get it over with? Why drag it out?" He asks, making Shane tilt his head.

"is that what you would like? Carlos, I can't do that. I love you too much for that. Remember, I showed you before." Logan and James are confused, but Kendall shudders.

"Leave him alone…" He quietly says, but one look from Logan makes him shut up right away. Shane just smiles.

"Come on, Carlos. Tell me that wasn't the best time of your life. I rocked your world, admit it." He says with a grin. Logan and James finally realize what happened and their faces turn to horror as they look at Carlos.

Their friend still shows no emotions, but James can tell he slightly trembles now.

"You really want to tell me it meant nothing to you?" Shane puts his face against the bars. Carlos doesn't respond, but he starts to fidget slightly and he looks down. Shane narrows his eyes. "Hm. Strange. Very strange." He shakes his head. "I'm not letting this go, sweetheart, just so you know. But I'll give you some time to process it, since it was your first time and all. I guess you don't have anyone to compare it with. Sleep tight everyone." He waves a last time and walks away whistling the melody to "Halfway There".

As soon as he's gone, James and Logan shift their attention to Carlos.

"Carlos?" Logan starts once again.

Carlos sighs in annoyance. "Are we really back to this? I'm fine." He tells him.

"Carlos, you are not fine.. What Shane said, is it what I think he meant? Did he.. did he.. " He tries, not able to say it out loud.

"_Did he what? Did he rape me, Logan?" Carlos suddenly yells, his face red and eyes full of anger. "Yeah, he did. He raped me, twice actually. Except he thinks it was wonderful and romantic and.." His voice starts to crack and he bites his lip. "He doesn't think it was wrong.." His voice shakes now as his eyes fill with tears and his bottom lip begins to quiver._

"_Carlos…" James softly says and reaches out a hand towards his friend, while Logan holds a hand in front of his mouth in shock._

"_He just did it and he smiled and kept kissing me and I tried so hard to fight him and I couldn't do it…" He is fully sobbing now as he shakily pulls his legs up to his chest._

This was how he would have handled it, had he been himself. Had he been able to show any emotion, this is what he would have told them. Instead, all Logan got was:

"Yes, Logan. He raped me. But I'm fine." Logan shares a disbelieving look with Kendall, who is watching with tears in his eyes.

"Carlos.. please.. talk to us.. don't give up like this." Logan pleads.

"Why do you care? You're going to die, too. We all are. I don't see why we have to pretend the world is a happy place. Because it's not. If it was, we would be home right now. But we're not. So what's the point in being happy anymore?" He says in a flat tone, making Logan gasp.

"Carlos.." James whispers and reaches out a hand to touch him, but Carlos pulls out of his reach.

Silence returns in the space. The boys slowly break one by one and the cameras are there to catch the whole thing. The man looking at the screens smiles, before starting to laugh out loud. Finally he is reaching his goal. Big Time Rush will never be the same…

**A/N First of all, thank you so much for the overwhelming support on the last chapter! It meant a lot to me that so many people are reading this story and enjoying it **

**Oh, just letting you know I changed the rating because f the adult themes. Seems more appropriate and thanks for the tip ;)**

**Will they ever get out or will they die there? And if they do get out, how much longer will it take?**

**Keep reading to find out ;) One clue; we are drawing to a close…**

**Thank you again so, so much and I will try to update my there stories as well soon with this one.**

**Until next time and Love, Baxxie**


	13. Chapter 13 Light up the room

**A/N Small warning for some graphic themes in this chapter…**

Chapter 13 Light up the room…

It's been a few days since the boys were locked up in the new area. Carlos still stares into space, no emotions present on his once so lively features.

The other guys now also sit with their backs against a wall. James and Logan have chosen to sit beside each other, the bars keeping them apart. But as it first provided some comfort, they are now lost in their own thoughts.

James sneaks a glance towards Carlos every once in a while as he shares the small space with him. But he hasn't been able to get close to him, as the younger boys scoots away every time. He has scooted away so many times that he now sits on the opposite side of the small cell and James has given up on trying to reach him.

Kendall sits in the last cell in the far upper corner. He has made sure to sit as far away from his friends as possible, afraid to get them hurt once more. His knees are pulled up to his chest and he rests his chin on them and his arms pulled tightly around them. He silently rocks back and forth. His eyes are wide and nervous. He jumps at every sound he hears in the hallway. He nervously looks at his friends sometimes, just to make sure they're still safe. Well, as safe as they can be.

Shane hasn't been around in a few days. They have still received some water and bread, but today they haven't heard or seen anyone. They're not sure what to think. But they are somewhat relieved that they're safe. For now.

"..You wanna be famous…" James suddenly quietly sings. Logan looks at him with raised eyebrows. James looks back at him and the singing trails off.

"..You wanna be the one who's living the life.." Logan suddenly continues. He slowly look at James, who gives a small smirk.

"..You wanna be famous.. You wanna be the one who's taking the free ride.." They quietly sing together, while smiling a little.

About an hour later Kendall is staring at the two best friends as they sing out loud and laugh while they're doing it. They're singing "Big Time Rush" now as loud as they can and pretty badly, too. Kendall can't help but chuckle a little and buries his mouth against his knees so they can't see him.

His friends sound drunk as they start singing "Count on You" with James pretending to be Jordin Sparks. They serenade each other like they've lost their minds, each clutching the bars and each other's hands through them.

He sneaks a glance towards Carlos and his smile fades when he sees the boy is still staring off into space. He looks at his friends again and giggles into his knees at the sight of them still serenading each other. It feels so good to see them having fun during a time like this.

His smile fades again when he thinks about that and what might happen if anyone heard them. But he can't bring himself to stop them. He opens his mouth, but words won't come out. He just doesn't know how to go against them. He doesn't want to be the one to stop them from having such a positive moment. They might get mad again…

"..Oh, I love you so much Jordin.." Logan says in a low masculine voice, clutching James' hands.

"I love you too, Logan." James says in a high feminine voice.

"But we can't be together." Logan responds and they both turn their heads away.

"I know.." James agrees.

Suddenly a loud applause breaks them out of their game and they look up in fear at Shane.

"That was beautiful." He tells them and wipes away a fake tear. "It's so amazing to see you having so much fun again. Not what I expected, really. Maybe I've left you alone for too long, huh?" He smiles and walks by the cells slowly, staring at all the boys one by one.

Logan and James quietly follow his movements. They watch as he looks at Carlos, who just stares ahead, no longer in this world. Shane smiles and keeps walking, until h stops a t Kendall's cell.

James and Logan frown when they finally notice how scared and vulnerable Kendall looks now. How did they not notice? He trembles and rocks back and forth again when he notices Shane is staring at him. He doesn't look up, but his breathing gets heavier.

Shane squats down and looks at Kendall with a big smile.

"Well, well. You don't look so tough anymore, do you?" He sticks a hand through the bars and Kendall affrightedly scoots back, even though Shane is nowhere near him. Shane chuckles, while Logan and James look on in shock.

Sane gets to his feet and walks back, whistling. He shakes his head at the dead look Carlos has in his eyes, but stops at their cell door. He takes out a set of keys and slowly opens the door.

Logan shares a look with James, they both look scared, but watch Shane carefully. He steps into the small space and walks closer, heading for Carlos.

He squints his eyes a little and tilts his head as he stops in front of the Latino boy. The he squats down right in front of his eyes.

"Carlitos?" He asks in a singsong voice, waving his hand in front of the boys' eyes. He doesn't respond and his friends look on with worry. Shane moves closer and puts a hand on his leg, shaking it. Nothing.

James and Logan's eyes widen when he starts to crawl even closer and over their friend's body. He moves his face close to his and puts his hands on the wall beside him as he practically straddles him.

"James, do something.." Logan whispers to his friend, who is trembling in fear beside him.

"Stop.." He whispers first. "S-stop!" He asks louder and Shane looks up at him. He just grins evilly and moves his face towards Carlos again. He smirks as he starts to touch Carlos' face with one hand and moving his lips towards his neck. All the while keeping his eyes on James, who looks on in horror.

"Stop, get off him!" he pleads and moves towards him, but one wrong movement has him crying out in pain and holding his chest in agony. He can immediately see he has opened up one of the harsh looking slashes on his chest as it starts to bleed.

Shane chuckles and starts to move both his hands down now. He starts to move one hand further down and under Carlos' shirt.

"Oh god…" James squeaks as he watches this. "Stop, please, stop!" he yells out and moves towards him again. He cries out in pain, but still goes to attack Shane. He chuckles again and shakes his head before standing up.

James sits on the floor, trembling, but slightly relieved that he has gotten off of Carlos. Just then, Shane holds out his arms and grabs Carlos by the shirt, hauling him to his feet. He pushes him against the wall and pushes his own body to his.

James' eyes widen as Logan puts a hand in front of his mouth. He gets to his feet himself, clutching the bars that are keeping him from helping his friend.

"Shane, get off him!" he yells as tears start to run down his face.

Shane doesn't respond and starts to touch Carlos again. He rips open the shirt he's wearing and roams one hand down his chest.

"God, you are beautiful, aren't you?" he whispers and puts his face closer as he starts to kiss his neck.

"You sick bastard, get off him!" James cries out and lunges himself at Shane. He gets angry and looks up before lashing out with one arm and slapping James backwards. James loses his balance and falls backwards with his head against the bars, sounding a sickening crack.

"James!" Logan cries out and scoots towards his friend, putting his hands through the bars and softly cradling his head. Shane looks at them with a sneer. Logan looks up just in time to see Carlos' head move up towards Shane. No longer are his eyes dead. There is now a raging fire in them. Logan frowns, but can see Carlos moving.

Shane didn't notice and just as he moves his head back, a knee kicks him swiftly and hard where the sun don't shine. He grabs down and falls to the ground with a groan. He looks up with fury at Carlos, who looks down at him.

"So you're not dead after all, huh?" Shane asks as he winces and holds one hand between his legs. The other hand is on the floor. Logan can see where this is going.

"Carlos, look out!" But hes already too late. Shane makes a grab for Carlos' foot and pulls, pulling the boy to the floor hard. He falls and hits his head against the wall. He blinks and shakes his head, wishing for the stars to go away.

He tries to move, but is not fast enough as Shane quickly moves to sit on top of him. He straddles the boys' legs and Carlos tries hard to get out from underneath him.

"You know, that wasn't a very smart thing to do." Shane tells him as he grabs his wrists and pins them to the floor. Carlos in turn spits at him. Shane closes his eyes and pulls him up slightly, before pushing him down to the floor again. A loud thud resonates and Carlos winces.

Shane leans down to his face. "You're really something, aren't you? I am going to make you pay for that. You think last time was rough? I am going to fuck you so hard you'll never walk straight again.." He whispers the last part in Carlos' ear. His eyes widen and he struggles with everything he has to get Shane off of him.

"Leave him alone! Please, just leave him alone!" Logan yells from the other cell. "James, wake up.. come on, you need to wake up, you need to stop him.. James, please.." Tears roll down his cheeks as he watches Shane put his face close to Carlos and forces his lips on his. Carlos tries to move, but Shane has a strong hold on him with one hand while the other still holds his wrists. He roughly kisses the boy, before letting go of his face and moving his hand down.

"Oh god.. no.. James, wake up, wake up, wake up!" Logan pleads and he tries to shake James, but he just groans and lets his head fall to the other side. "Shane, don't do this, just leave him alone…"

He can see Shane's hands snaking down and towards Carlos' pants. His finger move towards the button and he slowly opens it up. Logan can see Carlos suddenly go numb. He watches his friend's eyes and sees the dead look return.

Shane smiles as he realizes the same thing. He keeps on going and slowly starts to slide down the zipper.

"Kendall… Kendall, how can you just sit there? Do something!" Logan suddenly yells out at his other friend. Kendall has scooted into a corner and is trying hard not to see what's going on. He rocks back and forth in a fetal position with wide eyes, which are directed to the wall in front of him. "Kendall, please.. oh god.. you can't just.." Logan sobs as he watches Shane's hand go beyond the zipper. "Shane, no, please…"

"Boss?" Suddenly one of the big men shows up outside the cell. Shane looks up in anger.

"What the hell do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?" His hand is now on his own zipper as he was about to pull it down.

"Boss, this can't wait." He rolls his eyes and closes the button on his own pants.

"Alright, make it fast." He tells his men, but he stays on top of Carlos, moving his hands down again.

"You'll have to come with me and see something. We have a problem." The man says and Shane lets out a frustrating groan. He shakes his head and grumbles while finally getting up and off of Carlos.

Logan lets out a relieved sob and lets his head fall against the bars, silently crying, while Shane follows the man out of the cell.

"This better be good. I was just about to make another fantasy come true." He says and his voice trails as they walk away.

Logan cries and looks up at Carlos. His heart breaks at the sight in front of him. Carlos still lies on the floor, his pants unbuttoned, his body unmoving and his eyes vacant.

"J-James.. Jamie, wake up.. C-Carlos. Carlos needs you.." He sobs and pleads as James finally seems to be coming around.

"Oh, my head…" He groans and blinks, one hand moving towards his head. He winces at the pain and slowly sits up.

"Come on, you're okay, James.. Just sit up.." Logan tells him through sniffles and James looks around in confusion.

"Why are you crying? Did Shane hurt you?" Logan shakes his head and keeps his eyes on Carlos. James follows his gaze and his breath hitches.

"Oh my god… Carlos? Carlos, what did he do?" He whispers and slowly crawls across the floor towards his friend. "Logan what happened? Did he.."

"No, but he was about to.. I couldn't stop him, Jamie, he was kissing him and he was about to unbutton his own pants and I couldn't stop him.."

"It's okay, Logan.. Just try to stay calm.." James says, but his own voice is breaking. "Carlos?" he whispers as he crawls closer. "I'm so sorry buddy.. " With trembling hands he moves his hands to Carlos pants and closes them up. He starts to sob while he does it and quickly moves his hands away. He crawls closer to his friend and pulls him up against him. He winces as his friends' body leans against his painful chest. But he ignores the pain and pulls his head close to him and just holds him.

"I'm so sorry, Carlos.. I'm sorry.." His tears fall down and onto Carlos, but he stares ahead again.

Next to them, Kendall has tried to block it all out. He buries his face in his arms and without saying anything, his body starts to wreck with sobs of his own.

"..have you checked everywhere?" A voice suddenly sounds in the distance.

"..they have to be here somewhere."

"They better be.. when I get my hands on these people.." A strong male voice sounds. Logan looks up at the voice. It sounds so familiar to him.

"I think there's another space in here." An unfamiliar voice yells out.

"Can you see something?"

"I-I think there are more cells down here."

Logan slowly moves to stand.

"What is it, Logan?" James asks him from where he still holds Carlos.

"I don't know. I think someone's down here." He tells his friend, keeping his ears strained to hear the sounds.

"Oh my god.. do you smell that?"

"What is that?"

"I think it's blood.."

Logan suddenly hears footsteps coming closer and he moves back into the cell, feeling terrified.

"What is this place?" A male voice sounds and a flashlight suddenly shines down the hall.

"Well? Can you see anything? Is anyone in there?" The more familiar sounding voice asks.

"Oh my god.." The flashlight shines over the cells now. James and Logan squeeze their eyes shut over the light.

"Well?" Another flashlight joins the first one, before clattering to the floor. "Oh my god.. Boys?"

Logan looks up and into the face of the man talking. He seems familiar, but his mind is hazing so much, he just can't tell.

"Boys, you're going to be alright. We got you now.. We got you.. Where are the damn keys!" he man yells.

Suddenly all seems to move so fast. Someone runs into the hallway with the set of keys and the cell doors are opened. People swarm in and the boys are overwhelmed. So many voices yelling and touching…

"Logan?" He looks up and can't help but burst into tears when he sees a police officer in front of him. "You're going to be okay, Logan. We're here now."

"Someone get the paramedics!" Another voice yells.

Logan moves his head towards the cell next to him. James sits inside, trembling with fear as he tightens his grip on Carlos. Logan moves closer to the bars.

"James?" James looks at him with frightened eyes. "Jamie, it's okay. It's the police. They found us, Jamie.. We're going home.." Logan sobs, but James moves back when someone walks closer to him.

"Oh my god, boys… what happened to you?" The figure kneels on the floor in front of James and holds out his arms. James moves back further.

"No, just get away from me. Don't hurt us." He pleads with a trembling voice.

"James, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to help.. We're taking you home. Come on, why don't you let go.." He holds out his arms again and moves to grab Carlos, but James won't let go.

"Stay back!" He yells and the person holds his hands up in defense.

"James, just let them help you.. They're the good guys.." Logan tries again.

"No.. They're all part of it. Shane will come back and he'll hurt us again…" James responds, while keeping his eyes on the cop in front of him.

"Why don't I try?" The familiar person once again moves in behind the first cop. He kneels down in front of James as well. He gasps when he sees the boy in his arms. "James.. Why don't you hand him to me, okay? We need to help you, too.."

James looks up to see Kendall being led down the hall. His eyes look scared, but he holds his head down and lets them take him away.

"No.. No, you'll take him away from me. I won't let you hurt him.." James pleads.

"I'm not going to hurt him, James. James, look at me.." He puts a hand on his arm and James looks up. He then gasps as he starts to recognize the face in front of him.

"Mr.. Mr. Garcia? Are you really here?" He asks in shock. The man looks tired and seems to have aged about ten years since they last saw him. His eyes are bloodshot and the large bangs under his eyes prove he hasn't been sleeping.

He nods slowly. "I'm here, James." He whispers and James starts to cry. "It's okay, son.. It's okay.." he says as he leans closer and James latches onto him immediately. "James, you need to let me go, okay? Let me take Carlos.." James quickly lets go when he remembers Carlos is still in his arms.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Garcia.. I tried to help him.. I tried to keep him safe.." he cries out. He watches as the man gathers his own son into his arms. His eyes are full of pain, but there is a hint of relief as he finally holds his child again. He holds him close.

"Carlos? Carlos, I'm here, son. You're safe now.. You're all safe.. Carlos?" Carlos only stares blankly ahead. Mr. Garcia sighs and pulls him close. The others can see he's trying to keep himself together, but is already trembling. "God, what did they do to you…" he whispers.

He carefully gathers Carlos up in his arms and stands up. James looks on, still crying as he surprisingly hands Carlos to another cop, who hurries off.

Mr. Garcia turns back and towards James. James looks up in surprise.

"I'm sorry.. We didn't want him to get hurt, we tried to protect him.." He cries, but two strong arms engulf him in a tight embrace. He falls into it and sobs.

"Shh, it's alright. It's going to be okay, James." Mr. Garcia tells him in a strong, yet soothing voice. "Come on, let's get you boys out of here." He goes to stand and puts one of James' arms around his shoulders and pulls him up.

James nearly falls as he shakily gets to his feet, but Mr. Garcia's strong hold on him keeps him upright. Together they shakily start to walk out of the dungeon.

James looks behind once to make sure Logan is following as well. He sighs in relief as two officers are helping Logan to his feet as well. A second officer grabs James other arm and they lead him out.

On the way out, James and Logan can't help but stare down the hallways and the doors of the warehouse all their games took place in. They shudder at the memory and start to shake when they see their previous cell where it all started.

But nothing could prepare them for the sight they were met with when the doors to the outside finally opened. Flashes of light blinked in front of them. They squeeze their eyes shut at the blinding light of the sun, but the camera flashes continue to haunt them. Yelling is heard from all directions and people rush towards them.

Logan and James yell for each other, as they are pulled apart. James' breathing gets heavier. Everything seems to go in slow-motion when the world around him starts to spin. He tries to clear his vision, but he can feel his knees start to buckle underneath him, even as the strong hold on his arms keeps up.

"James…" Is the last thing he hears when the whole world goes dark once again…

**A/N To be honest, I wasn't planning on writing this chapter yet. But honestly, how much more could they take? Plus, I was losing a little bit of inspiration for the torture.**

**So, they are finally free of their dungeon. But are they really free? **

**Again, thank you all so much for your support on this story. Also, my apologies for keeping you waiting for a new chapter. I just had a couple of rough days and couldn't put myself to writing anything. I'm not completely positive again, but getting better, so here's a new chapter for you all **

**I hope you like it, even thought that might be the wrong way to put it, seeing the dark themes in this story ;)**

**Let me know what you think and again, thank you so, so much for all your kind words **

**Until next time and Love, Baxxie**


	14. Chapter 14 Broken families

Chapter 14 Broken families…

The outside if the building is lined up with people. Friends, family, paramedics, police officers, ordinary spectators and then there are the reporters.

The moment they found out where the boys were hidden this whole year, the media jumped on it. Within minutes the old prison was swarmed by everyone interested to see what had happened and how the boys were. Even some fans showed up.

Tape is lined up across the building, making sure to give the boys privacy. Who knows what might have happened to them. Their families want to keep them safe. This is why reporters were ordered to go away immediately.

Everyone watches as the police officers head inside. They hold their breath as they wait for the first officer to come back out. No one knows what to expect. A year was a long time. Anything could have happened.

But the moment the door opens again, no one is able to make a single sound. They all watch in silence as one officer holds the door open. Then a loud gasp is heard as two officers come out with a trembling Kendall between them.

Jennifer and Katie Knight stare in shock when they see the state he is in. Just one year ago the four boys disappeared suddenly. They had still been laughing, having fun and then they were gone.

But here is Kendall. The once so confident leader of the group, always a big mouth to other people and standing up for his friends whenever anyone got into trouble. Now… he looks like a lost child, thin, eyes wide open and looking terrified. He looks vulnerable as he tries to avoid everyone's gazes. His once strong tall frame is now thin, frail, pale looking and his eyes look haunted, with big bags under his eyes.

Mother and daughter stare in shock and share one look, before shooting underneath the tape and running towards the boy. Officers try to stop them, but nothing can get in their way now. The blond green-eyed boy is being led to an awaiting ambulance and the two run faster to catch up.

Tears run down their faces when they finally reach the back of the ambulance.

"Kendall!" Katie cries out, making her big brother turn around. He looks in disbelief at his younger sister. It takes one second to look at her and his mother to make him break down sobbing. The officers try to hold him, but Katie pushes them out of the way and grabs hold of her brother, crying with him. Their mother quickly joins them and together they cry on the ground.

They look up when they hear the door opening again.

"Oh my god…" Jennifer Knight cries out and she puts a hand in front of her mouth. She watches in shock as an officer emerges with Carlos in his arms.

The boy looks just as thin, pale and fragile as Kendall. But this isn't what shocks them the most. It's the dead look in his eyes and the way his body is hanging completely limp in the officer's arms.

"Carlos? Mom, is he.." Katie starts while still sobbing. Kendall just stares with a quivering bottom lip. Soon, he looks away with a look of guilt, which no one has noticed.

The officer rushes towards another ambulance. The Knights stare after him and then at the Latino woman who follows fast.

Sylvia Garcia is in total shock when she finally sees her son. She hardly recognizes him. She chokes back a sob when they load him onto a stretcher.

"Carlos?" She quietly asks, leaning down to him and grabbing his hand. "It's me, mijo. You're okay now… Carlos? Baby?" She softly calls out, but she gets no response whatsoever. He just stares ahead with no emotion. Sylvia trails a bruise on his jaw with a trembling hand. "God, what did they do to you… my beautiful boy…"

Paramedics head over to Kendall, wanting to treat him. But Jennifer is shocked to find her son cling to her at once, trying to get away from them.

"Sweetie, it's okay. They just want to help you." She tries to coax him, but he just holds on tighter. She throws the paramedics a helpless look. "Can I just, can I come with him?" She asks them and they nod sympathetically.

Just then the door opens a third time and a loud cry rings out. Jennifer looks behind her and sees Brooke Diamond clasp her hands over her mouth in shock.

Sylvia has also turned her gaze towards the door now and sees her husband and another officer lead Jams outside. More tears flow down her face as she watches the bruised boy. His eyes are wild and they dart back and forth between the officers and something behind him.

There are deep slashes seen on his chest as his shirt is torn in certain places. His face is covered in cuts and also a long slash.

"Oh my god.. What did they do? Oh, you're beautiful face…" Brooke Diamond calls out. Jennifer and Sylvia both feel like slapping her when hearing that comment.

The mother also shoots towards her son. But before she can reach him, reporters have somehow broken through the tape. They flash their cameras at the pretty one of the group. He squeezes his eyes shut at the sudden blindness of the lights. Just then, he starts to wobble on his feet. Loud gasps are heard when he suddenly collapses.

Antonio Garcia can feel more and more anger boiling up inside of him when the reporters show up and make James faint. He grits his teeth and calls another officer. The young man runs over and he hands James over to him.

Antonio walks closer to one reporter, who is now taking pictures of the unconscious James. He grabs the camera at once, ripping it out of his hands and smashing it on the ground.

The reporter looks at him with a glare.

"Hey, that was my camera! That was expensive, dude!" he exclaims as he tries to pick up the pieces of his camera.

But Antonio just stares at him with hatred. In one movement he grabs the reporter by his shirt and throws him t the ground. The other reporters watch in shock when the first punch is thrown with a sickening thud.

The other parents whip their heads around when they hear the sudden yelling near the door. They stare with wide eyes as a furious Antonio Garcia beats up a helpless reporter on the ground, while James is being carried to an ambulance.

"Garcia, Garcia!" Another officer calls out as he and his partner rush up to haul their colleague of the reporter.

"Let me go, he deserved it!" He screams in rage and struggles in the officer's grasps.

"Antonio, calm down. He is just a reporter. He is not to blame for what happened!" Officer Parker yells as he tries to pull his colleague away. Officer Garcia is breathing heavily.

"I have to blame someone, we can't just let them get away with this.." He exclaims with wild eyes.

"I know and we will do everything we can to find the bastards and lock them up. But don't take your anger out on innocent people." Parker tells him. "Now go and be with your wife and son. We can take it from here."

Officer Garcia nods at first, but then turns back. "No, wait. Our other son, Alex. He went missing too. I need to find him." He calls back and wants to head inside, but Parker stops him.

"We'll find him, don't worry. Just go comfort your wife. She needs you right now." He turns around and sees his wife trembling as she holds their son's unmoving hand. He reluctantly shifts his gaze towards the prison door one more time, before hurrying over to his wife and gathering her crying form into his arms.

Brooke Diamond in the meantime is screaming at the paramedics handling her son. "Get him to the hospital, now! I want to speak to a plastic surgeon right away and if there are any more reporters taking pictures, I will sue all of you!" She screams, when suddenly two arms engulf her into an embrace. She turns around in shock and finds herself looking into the worried eyes of her ex-husband. "What are you doing here?"

"he's my son, too, Brooke. Just calm down and let these people treat him. They're doctors, they know what they're doing." He reassures her and pulls her into a hug. The woman glares and refuses to hug him back.

The man sighs and lets go of her. She immediately glares and goes to sit next to her son in the ambulance. She takes his hand and shoots her ex-husband a look.

He rolls his eyes and puts up his hands in surrender. He steps back as they close the doors of the ambulance and drive off with the sirens wailing. He stares with a deep sigh, shaking his head.

As he turns around he can just see the Mitchells running towards their son, who is also being led outside now. He is already crying in their arms as they hold him tight and help him towards a fourth ambulance.

At the first ambulance, Kendall is being led inside while he holds on tightly to his mother's shirt. Katie argues with a paramedic when he tries to keep her outside. He loses fast and she glares as she steps inside as well.

But right before the doors close, another loud scream is heard. Everyone stops dead in their tracks as their eyes charge back to the Garcia's. Sylvia has dropped to the ground, her hands covering her mouth as she screams and cries.

Everyone's eyes quickly dart to Carlos, but he doesn't look different. He still lies on the gurney, eyes vacant, body unmoving.

Antonio stands next to his wife in shock, anger and pain crossing his features. Officer Parker stands next to them as he tells them something.

Just then a gasp is heard as the door opens again and two officers carry out a gurney. But the person on it isn't visible to anyone as a sheet covers it.

Sylvia Garcia screams louder and runs towards the body. Antonio tries to stop her, but his eyes become haunted when she grabs a hold of the sheet and pulls it off.

There underneath the sheet Travis Diamond recognizes the younger Garcia boy, Alex. Sylvia throws herself onto him, holding the boy to her chest as she wails.

Jennifer and Katie watch with wide eyes, keeping them on the dead 11 year-old until the doors of the ambulance close and they drive off in the distance.

Steve and Joanna Mitchell hold their son close. Together they watch in shock as th Garcia's have to say goodbye to one of their own. They suddenly notice Logan has started to tremble. Joanna is the first to shift her gaze back to him and her eyes widen.

Logan has turned as white as a sheet. He trembles and his eyes are wide, fixated on Alex' body. He clutches his mother and father's shirts and his breathing becomes labored suddenly.

"Logan? Logan.." She starts., but the boy doesn't seem to hear her. Paramedics rush over to them.

"He's going into shock. We need to get him to the hospital, now!" One man yells. Joanna and Steve hold each other close as their son is led away from them and placed onto a gurney. A breathing mask is placed over his face. His eyes look frantic and the parents hurry into the ambulance, each taking hold of a hand.

"Mr. Garcia? We really need to take your son to the hospital now. He needs to be looked over." A female paramedic tells the distraught father as he stills stares at his dead younger son in shock. He faintly nods and grabs a hold of his wife.

She is still sobbing and holding onto her boy for dear life.

"Sylvia.. Sylvia, we need to go. Carlos needs us.." He tries, but she just shakes her head and cries.

"My baby… My poor baby…" She chants as she rocks back and forth.

"Sylvia, they need to take Carlos to the hospital. He needs us right now."

"Alex needs us.."

"We can't do anything for him anymore…" Antonio gulps. "He's gone…"

"No, no!" She cries out and he grabs a tighter hold on her, trying to pull her away.

"Come on.." He quietly tells her, but she fights him. Luckily, he's strong and manages to pull her away. She immediately falls into his arms. He holds her close and takes one more look at his son, before the paramedics pull the sheet over him again. "Come on, Carlos is waiting.." Together the broken parents walk towards the last ambulance. It leaves soon after.

The people left behind either head for the hospital or head home as soon as the boys are out and away. Only a few of them manage to see the second body being taken out of the prison. But no screaming or crying is heard this time. Her parents are nowhere to be found.

At the hospital chaos ensues when the reporters show up there before the ambulances show up. Security has to fight them off to make sure they can't take pictures as the four BTR boys arrive one by one.

All four boys are rushed inside the ER, doctors screaming orders and their families asked to stay back.

Jennifer Knight watches with pain in her eyes as Kendall is forced to let go of her shirt. She breaks down crying the moment his gurney turns the corner.

Katie tries her best to comfort her mother, but it is all too much for the young teenager to go through alone. She is so grateful when the other parents come in sight. She wants to run over, be crushed into a hug by someone, anyone. But everyone is breaking down and she is left alone once again.

Luckily there is one parent who has noticed. Travis Diamond suddenly takes her mother into a hug with one arm, pulling Katie to his chest with the other. She gratefully accepts his warm hug and buries her crying face into his chest.

The parents all take refuge in the waiting room. Each waiting to hear how bad the situation is and how soon they can see their sons again.

The minute a doctor comes through the doors, everyone shoots up from their chairs.

"Kendall Knight?" Jennifer and Katie rush over, anxious to hear how he is doing. "I'm Dr. Franklin, I'll be treating Kendall. I have to say, I'm surprised he doesn't seem to have too many physical injuries. The boys are all dehydrated and underweight from the lack of food and water. But Kendall doesn't have a lot of injuries. This should be a good thing, but I am very worried about his emotional state. I believe your son is more emotionally scarred than anything. We don't know what he saw or went through, because he won't talk about it. But he has been asking for you, Mrs. Knight."

The two take the information in with some relief but a lot of worry as well.

"So, can we see him?" Jennifer hesitantly asks.

"Right now we are moving him to another room, so you'll have to wait a little bit. But I will come and get you once he's settled."

The other parents sit back down as the doctor leaves.

A while later the door opens again to a different doctor.

"Logan Mitchell?" The Mitchells slowly stand up and walk over the friendly looking doctor. "I'm Dr. Sanders. Your son is doing all right. We are administrating fluids to him right now to rehydrate him. We had to sedate him, because he went into shock on the way here. So he is resting right now. Now, your son only supports a few minor bruises. But we do think there might be injuries we can't see. We'll have to wait for him to wake up to find out how he's doing."

"Thank you, doctor." Steve Mitchell tells the man and he nods.

"Like Kendall, your son is being moved at the moment. We made sure to put them in the same room, since they might need each other's support."

Again the doctor leaves and everyone waits in silence.

It takes a long time for a third doctor to walk through the door and when he does, everyone looks anxious. The doctor looks worn as he pinches the bridge of his nose. He takes a deep breath before stepping up to the parents waiting.

"Mr. and Mrs. Garcia?" He asks, his voice sounding strained.

"yes.." Antonio calls out as he pulls his broken wife to her feet. He's not sure they are ready for more bad news, which he feels like they are about to receive.

"Now this might be hard to hear for you and I suggest we go somewhere more private to discuss it." The doctor says.

"Oh god…" Sylvia starts, already fearing the worst.

"No. These people are all his family, too. They can hear it." Antonio bravely mentions. He doesn't know why he feels the need to do this, but he knows once they receive the bad news, he might not be strong enough to share it with the others. Might as well have them hear it right away.

"Alright. We found old bruising, probably from when they were first taken. Now we did find some newer bruises, mainly around his neck and jaw. Others were found on his hips and thighs."

A gasp is heard as Jennifer Knight seems to have realized where the conversation is going. Antonio Garcia gulps hard as he also recognizes the intention of the doctor's story.

"Go on.." he softly tells the doctor, who clears his throat.

"I'm afraid we found evidence of sexual abuse on your son." There it was. The sentence none of them ever wanted to hear. Antonio finally realizes why he found his son in the state he was in. the sentence echoes through his brain. "We had to run a rape kit to be sure and we were able to confirm it. I'm afraid no DNA was left behind as they cleaned him up apparently right after. But as you have seen, it has left a big impact on his emotional state."

They nod as they hear the news. Sylvia sheds even more tears as her husband holds her close. That bastard… Whoever did this was going to pay dearly. If he could ever find him…

"He is awake right now and unexpectedly he is coherent." They look up in surprise at this. "But I am afraid the situation has left him in a very negative mindset. He doesn't seem to care about anything right now and I would highly recommend for you to find him a counselor. In the state he is in right now, we have decided to keep him on suicide watch."

"Oh my god…" Sylvia chokes out another sob as the others look on in shock.

"He is being moved into the room with the other boys right now, but you can see him soon." The parents nod and they shake his hand with a grateful look. He smiles with sympathy and walks away.

The last doctor comes in right after and Brooke and Travis Diamond stand up at once. Brooke rushes over to the doctor, glaring when Travis does the same. He ignores her.

"James Diamond?" The female doctor asks and the two nod.

"yes, I'm his mother." Brooke speaks up right away and grabs the woman's hand. Travis sighs, before also shaking her hand.

"I'm Dr. Summers. Your son.."

"Does he have a private room yet? And how bad are his cuts? Can they be healed by you or will he need a plastic surgeon?" the parents are in shock at the questions the woman asks.

"Brooke, why don't we actually worry about his health before his looks." Travis says as he sends her a glare. She glares right back, but doesn't ask another question.

"Mr. and Mrs. Diamond…"

"We're not married anymore." Brooke quickly adds and Travis sends her another look.

"Please ignore her.." he mentions and beckons the doctor to continue.

"Now, your son seems to have suffered the most physical injuries out of all four boys. It seems the captors were intent on destroying his physical appearance along with his emotional state. We found that the cuts on his face also run down his arms. They were caused by a scalpel, while the slashes on his chest, arms, legs and his face were caused by a whip."

The others listen on in shock as the doctor explains this as if it was nothing.

"Now we have had to use stitches on some of the wounds. But they will cause scarring. We tried to repair the skin on his face, but I'm afraid scars will remain there as well as all the other slashes created on his chest and arms."

"But is he okay?" Travis Diamond asks her and the doctor gives him a warm smile.

"He is resting at the moment. As you know he passed out before he arrived here. This was all due to lack of nutrition and dehydration. We believe the boys didn't get a lot of sleep either and since they were in the dark for so long, they also lack vitamin D. All four are being administered fluids right now and vitamins, do they can get their strength back. Now as for emotionally, I'm not sure he is okay. None of them are. So I do advise counseling."

"Now does he have his own room?" Brooke asks again. "Because he should eb as comfortably as possible."

"He woke up briefly when we were tending to his wounds. The first thing he did was ask how his friends were doing. We believe right now it is best that they are placed in the same room. They are the only ones who know what happened and they might need each other to pull through."

The parents are amazed at how all four doctors are so in tune with the boys' friendships and how they are handling it.

"Alright, but do you have a suggestion for a plastic surgeon? Because I am sure James would want us to…" Brooke starts again, but Travis grabs her arm and pulls her away.

"I don't think you should focus on his looks right now. We should be happy that he is alive right now. Can you care enough for one minute to feel that? Huh? That is our son in there. God knows what happened to him. His looks is the last thing I'm worried about and I'm sure the same thing goes for him." He tells the woman. After he does, he witnesses something he never though possible again. Tears start to leak from her eyes as the stone-faced woman suddenly starts to sob. He looks on in shock, but then recovers and pulls her into his arms as she breaks down.

A nurse walks up to Dr. Summers, whispering something to her. The doctor nods and smiles at the parents.

"You can go see the boys now. Follow me."

They stand up on shaky legs as they start to walk after the doctor slowly.

"Oh, we should call my mother. Carmen will be worried.." Antonio Garcia suddenly mentions. The Mitchells consider this and remember their daughter as well.

"I'll call her." Steve mentions to Joanna and both men walk away together. The two women cling to each other and walk down the hallway.

**A/N Sorry for the long wait and sorry for the boys themselves not doing much in this chapter. I just thought it was necessary to include the parents' view of what was going on. **

**Now the boys are free and in the hospital. Mostly they have emotional scarring and this will take a while to get over. That also means this story isn't over yet, so I hope you're happy to hear that ;)**

**Thanks again for all your reviews, it keeps me inspired to keep writing. Remember; if you have any requests or ideas for this story, let me know **

**And also, if you have requests or ideas for other stories you'd like me to write, let me know about that too. I love writing stories for BTR. And even though I love angst and drama most, I like other stuff as well. So anything is possible ;)**

**Until next time and Love, Baxxie**


	15. Chapter 15 Hard conversations

Chapter 15 Hard conversations…

As the parents walk down the corridor, they all cling to one and other. They know their boys might never be the same again from now on. They stop in front of the door. Number 2J, how ironic.

Everyone takes a deep breath before they open the door and step inside.

"Mom!" Kendall yells out from his bed on the left end of the room. He closes his mouth just as fast with a gasp as he turns frightened eyes towards the other guys. Tears stream down his face quickly as Jennifer Knight walks towards him. She doesn't even have time to sit down next to him, as he clings to her arm once more and buries his face into her shirt. Mrs. Knight exchanges a look with the other parents as she sits down and softly pats her son's back soothingly.

Like the doctor's mentioned, all four boys are hooked up to IV's, making sure they get rehydrated and receive vitamins.

James is covered in bandages as he solemnly looks at his sheets. When he looks up, his features turn to shock, as he takes in his mother and father side by side. But the thing that shocks him the most are the tears running down his mother's face. He doesn't have time to recover, because his mother practically throws herself at him and cries in his arms. He looks at his father with questioning eyes, but he just smiles at his son.

Logan still wears a breathing mask and his eyes are huge as he still recovers from shock. His mother takes a seat beside his bed and takes his hand. He nearly jumps out of his skin, but when he sees her, he immediately starts to cry again. His mother tries to soothe him as his body wracks with sobs.

Carlos is sitting up in his bed, staring at the white walls in the middle of the room. While Kendall's bed occupies the left far end of the room, Carlos is lying in between James and Logan. Logan is on the far right side of the room and James is next to Kendall.

There is not even a hint of a smile on Carlos' face. The dark look occupying his features is a scary sight for everyone in the room. Sylvia Garcia cautiously approaches her son and sits by his side.

"Carlos, mijo…" She whispers and it requires everything she has not to break down crying again. She takes his hand in hers, but inhales sharply when he pulls it away.

"Please don't touch me." Is the only thing his cold voice tells her, but he doesn't take his eyes off the wall.

"Mijo, we heard what happened. I am so sorry…" She stops midsentence when he actually rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Can we go home?" He asks, still not looking at his mother. Sylvia suddenly notices the room has gone quiet. The other parents and even the guys stare at them.

"No, you can't go home. You're hurt, the doctors are helping you get better." He snorts and there is no mistaking the hurt in his mother's eyes. "Please mijo, don't act like this. You're safe now, we got you…" The smirk is removed from his face as he finally turns towards her. She is taken aback by the darkness in his eyes.

"How is Alex doing? Is he safe, too?" Her eyes widen when she hears his question. She can feel the tears building up.

"I… I can't do this…" She whispers as she gets up from the chair.

"Sylvia…" Jennifer Knight starts, but Sylvia just shakes her head and practically runs out of the room. Carlos just goes back to staring at the wall.

On her way out, Sylvia passes by her husband, who is just on his way to the rom himself, having called their daughter.

"Sylvia, what's.." She just cries and shakes her head.

"Carlos.. I can't.. I just can't…" She rambles as she pushes past him. Antonio frowns as he steps into the hospital room. Everyone gives him a look of sympathy, before turning their attention to their own children.

Antonio slowly makes his way to his son and sits down.

"Carlos, I'm glad you're doing better, son. What happened to your mother?" He asks him and frowns when his son doesn't even seem to acknowledge him. "Carlos, did you hear me?"

"Yeah. I heard you. I guess mom just couldn't handle the truth." His dark voice explains. Antonio just stares at him.

"What does that mean? What happened?"

"Why didn't you just leave me behind?" Antonio looks at his son with disbelief. Carlos slowly turns his head towards him and watches him with hollow eyes.

"Carlos, you're my son. Why would I ever leave you behind in such a god-awful place?"

"Did you find Alex?" The question leaves the officer speechless for a moment. He swallows heavily before answering.

"Yes, we did." He answers in a much quieter tone. Carlos faces the wall again when Antonio looks down. "What happened?" he nearly whispers and suddenly the room is filled with silence. Everyone seems to be waiting to hear the answer to that single question. But everyone has a different meaning behind the question.

"Ask Logan. He was there." Is Carlos' only explanation. Antonio Garcia sends a frown towards the other raven-haired boy at the other end of the room. Logan's eyes widen when he meets Mr. Garcia's confused glance and promptly starts to panic again.

Antonio looks at Carlos again and sighs.

"Son, I am so sorry for what you went through. I'm sorry it took me a year to find you all." Antonio tells him, hanging his head down low.

"Yeah, me too." Carlos' bitter voice replies.

"I uh… I'm going to go see how your mom's doing. I'll be right back." Antonio whispers and everyone knows he has a second reason for stepping out. He doesn't want his son to see him cry…

After sitting with their sons for another hour, a nurse steps in to inform them visiting hours are over. Only Antonio Garcia had stepped back in in the meantime. But he had just by his son's bed in silence. No one had missed how red and puffy his eyes were when he walked back in. But no one said a word about it.

As the grown-ups step out, silence overtakes them. Steve Mitchell is the first one to break it.

"We just wanted to let you know, we're uh… We've decided to take Logan to Minnesota with us." The others look up in shock.

"You've already decided that? They were found today." Jennifer Knight exclaims.

"Yes and we know the boys will have a long road ahead of them. We know he's going to need us." Joanna agrees.

"So, you're taking him away from here? You're taking away his dream?"

"It was never his dream to become a pop star, Jennifer. It was his dream to become a doctor. And if we hadn't agreed with this idiotic plan of yours to let him move to LA to become famous, than none of this would have happened!" Joanna yells now, obviously upset. Steve rubs her back gently in comfort.

"Are you saying this is my fault now? How dare you say such a thing!" Jennifer shouts back. "We all agreed to this. In case you're forgetting, Joanna, my son is in there too!"

"I know that and I also know we signed an agreement to have you look after our sons while they were in LA. You promised to keep them safe, Jen!" Joanna shouts. Jennifer Knight falls silent after that.

"How dare you accuse my mom of doing this? You're right, you signed that agreement, you all did. That means you're all to blame!" Katie yells now, tears streaming down her face as everything starts to get to her.

"You can't talk to me like that. See, this is what I'm talking about. If you had given your kids more rules, maybe they would be normal right now!" Joanna shouts.

"Joanna, that is enough!" Sylvia Garcia suddenly shouts from behind them. The woman looks broken, having lost one son and semi-lost another. "Now we are all upset here. All our sons have been through so much. They were gone for a year, a whole year! You cannot blame Jennifer for what happened to them. I know you just want to blame someone, I'm sure we all do. But until they catch the guys that did this, we need to stay strong. For them, for our boys. It's not going to do them any good if we end up fighting." They look away with guilty looks. "I also don't think it'll do them any good if we pull them out of their comfort zones right now and away from each other." She says this with a penetrating look towards Joanna and Steve.

"We just want to do what's best for Logan.." Steve starts.

"And you think bringing him back to Minnesota without his friends is what's best?" Jennifer asks them.

"Do you really think keeping them in LA, where they were taken, is what's best for them? Just letting them go back to the Palm Woods, to being Big Time Rush again like nothing happened?" Brooke Diamond suddenly adds.

"Brooke, you agree with this?" Jennifer asks her.

"Look, I agree I don't think James will be happy with it. But this is not going to be easy. With what happened to him, he can't just go back to being famous. Things aren't the same. It's been a year and when people see them, they won't look at them the same way. I know how this world works." She explains.

"Brooke, you can't do that to James. You'll break his heart…" Sylvia tells her.

"I know that, but letting him go back out there, knowing what people will do… I know how cruel they can be. I just can't put him through that." She softly explains.

"Don't you think he deserves to make that choice on his own? He's not dead, you know!" Katie exclaims, stepping onto a chair to stand up to all the grown-ups. "You can't do this. You can't take Logan and James back to Minnesota. They belong here, they're Big Time Rush now."

"Katie…" Jennifer starts, but Katie pushes her away.

"No! It's not fair… After everything they went through, you can't take this away from them! You just can't! I won't let you!" She yells, before jumping off the chair and running off.

"Katie…" Her mother replies, but the warm hand of Travis Diamond on her shoulder makes her look up. "I'll go." He softly tells her before walking off into Katie's direction.

"Look, it's not like this is an easy decision to make. But I just want what's best for my son." Brooke explains once again.

"No, it's not an easy decision. Meaning, you can't just decide right now. Katie is right, they were found today. At least think about it some more before deciding." Sylvia Garcia tells them.

"Actually, I think it is a good decision." Antonio Garcia suddenly mentions. Sylvia looks at her husband in shock.

"You can't mean that." She asks him in disbelief.

"You saw him in there. Carlos is not the same person he was a year ago. He can't just go back to the way things were. He wouldn't survive." He tells her softly, before sending a hard look down to the floor.

"Antonio, he is not the same person, because those people, they broke him. They broke our baby and they killed Alex." Her voice breaks as she starts to cry again. "If we take him away from here, he will hate us forever."

"How would you be able to tell the difference?" He harshly asks her and she gasps. "We need to face the facts that Carlos might never be the same again. Do you really think it's fair to let him go back out there in public and have people treat him differently? Honestly, I don't think he will hate us, he won't even care." He argues as he stands up.

"How can you say that? Of course he cares. He's just scared and confused right now." Antonio shakes his head.

"Open your eyes, Sylvia! Our son is under suicide watch right now. You couldn't stay in there for five minutes because of the way he was acting. I am not letting him go back out there. He is coming home with us, where we can watch him and help him."

"But his friends…"

"His friends are just as broken as he is. Honestly, they've always been a bad influence on each other. Maybe taking a break from them is just what he needs." With that he starts to walk down the hallway, leaving his wife to sob in the corridor. Jennifer takes her into her arms.

"We are, we're going to our hotel for a little while. We'll be back tomorrow to see Logan." The Mitchells announce, but the two women refuse to look at them.

"Look, I'm sorry. I just care about him so much, I want him to be safe and okay…" Brooke Diamond softly tells them. But her voice sounds so soft, it's clear she hardly believes it herself. "I'll see you tomorrow…" She nods and heads down the hallway as well.

Pretty soon the hallway is filled with only the quiet sobs of Mrs. Garcia as she aches for her family.

After a few days, the parents are relieved to find out their sons can leave the hospital. Only James will need extra care. But Brooke Diamond already made sure he will get the best treatment back in Minnesota.

No one could be happier. The only thing is; the parents haven't informed the boys that they won't be staying at the Palm Woods anymore. The truth is, they have fought about it again and again, but the Mitchells, Brooke Diamond and Antonio Garcia have stuck by their ideas. Right now, all their stuff is already packed up and ready to go.

As they walk into the hospital room once more, they put on happy smiles anyway.

Jennifer Knight heads right for her son, who has never been clingier. He immediately grabs hold of her hand tightly and refuses to let go. He doesn't talk much and when he does, everyone has to strain their ears to hear him.

"Hi, sweetie. Are you ready to go home?" She smiles as she looks at him. She tries to ignore the other parents walking in, as today they will have to tell all four boys the new plan.

Brooke Diamond heads for her own son, who is sitting in his bed, already dressed and ready to go home. He looks small and insecure as he absentmindedly traces a scar on his face.

"James, great news! I have found the best doctor in Minnesota to take care of your wounds. He said that with some new treatment, you will look as god as new in no time." She tells her son with a smile. He frowns at her and pushes her hand away as she attempts to brush through his short hair.

"Why would I need a doctor in Minnesota? There are doctors in LA, too." He tells her. She sighs, but keeps up her smile.

"Yes, but you're not staying in LA. You're coming home to live with me, in Minnesota. Isn't that great!" She tells him. He looks at her in full disbelief.

"But I don't want to move back to Minnesota. I like it here in LA. I mean, we have to go back to the studio, to record a new album. Gustavo must be waiting for us. I…"

"James." Brooke states as James looks at her. "Gustavo has put Big Time Rush on hold for now. I'm sure maybe in the future you could go back and be in the band, but right now, that just isn't an option." She tells him.

"What do you mean it isn't an option?" He asks her, his voice getting louder.

"Honey, keep your voice down." She tells him as everyone has stopped to stare at them.

"No, I won't keep my voice down. Why would we not be able to continue with Big Time Rush? We were just becoming famous. We can't stop now.."

"James, you've been gone for a year. A lot has changed. Gustavo has already got a new band to manage. And sweetie, I'm sorry, but I don't think your friends are up for it right now." She softly tells her son. Tears well up in his eyes.

"No… No, Gustavo wouldn't give up on us like that. He wouldn't just take on another band. Not after everything that we've been through. We've worked so hard. Guys, say something!" He exclaims and looks around him at his friends. Logan looks just as shocked as him, while Kendall just buries his face in his mom's shirt when they look at him and Carlos doesn't even blink.

"Honey, I know this is hard to hear. But it's over. Big Time Rush can't go on without the four of you all together." Brooke tells him.

"But… we can do it.. We're all alive, we can…" He starts, but another look around the room has him realizing the reality.

Logan looks at him with fear in his eyes. Kendall refuses to look at any of them, almost flinching when they look at him and no longer talking. And Carlos… Carlos has become very dark. While he used to be the person to brighten up the room, he now seems to be the one to bring down the mood. He hasn't been seen smiling for so long.

"I… I'm sorry, sweetie…" Brooke tells her son again and pats his arm. "I've already packed all your things. If you want, we can go say goodbye at the Palm Woods. But if you don't, we can leave for the airport right away." She kisses his forehead and walks out of the room.

"Mom, dad, please tell me you're not thinking the same thing." Logan says, some anger in his voice, as he knows his parents.

Joanna sighs. "Hortense, honey, we just want what's best for you." She puts a hand on his arm, but he pushes it away.

"My name is Logan and how do you know what's best for me? Pulling me away from here and back to Minnesota is what's best according to whom?" He asks them with tears glistening in his eyes.

"Logan, I know this isn't easy…"

"You're damn straight it isn't!" The couple gasps when he curses. The guys have heard much worse, but for the strictly raised twosome, it is proof that they should have done this a long time ago.

"Logan, we are your parents. Like it or not, but you are not 18 just yet. That means you will do as we decide!" Steve Mitchell tells his son, pointing at him in anger. "And right now, we decide that you will go back to Minnesota with us and there will be some changes. One thing is, you will be going to school and you will not spend time with these three boys any longer!" Even Joanna Mitchell gasps at this.

"Steve, you can't just decide that. They are his friends." She tells her husband.

"No, they are a bad influence. Logan never used to swear or come home injured or arrested by the police before he met them." He argues.

"He was four!" She argues back.

"I have made my decision and that is final! Logan, your stuff is already in the car. So as soon as the doctor has signed your release papers, we will leave straight for the airport. I suggest you say your goodbyes now." With that the man stalks off and out of the room.

Joanna stares after her husband in some shock and looks at Logan with an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, honey. I didn't know he wanted to do that." She tells him.

"Mom, you can't let him do this. You can't keep me away from the guys. I need them and they need me!" he says as tears start to fall down. "I feel at home here, mom. Please don't make me leave… I finally feel like I belong…" He whimpers and she holds him as he sobs.

"I'm sorry sweetie. But one your father makes up his mind…" She sighs. "We just want what's best for you. We love you very much." She kisses the top of his head. "I'll give you some time alone." She whispers and gets up to leave the room. She gives him one more pained look before walking out.

In the meantime, Jennifer Knight is already crying as she has watched the whole ordeal take place.

"Mom?" Kendall's small voice asks her. She looks down and sees him looking at her, also crying now. "Are you making me go back to Minnesota, too?"

"Oh, honey…" She cries and pulls him closer. "I don't want to… But we can't stay in that apartment by ourselves. We can't afford to and with the band not being complete. I guess we have no choice…" Katie also holds her brother and her mom, but she doesn't cry.

Jennifer looks up for a moment and wipes her eyes as she sniffles. "Come on, Katie. Let's give them a moment." She whispers and Katie reluctantly lets her mom pull her out the door. Not a second later she runs back in and hugs James, who cries and hugs her back.

She then moves on to Logan, who also hugs her back. She hesitantly walks over to Carlos.

"Carlos?" He doesn't look at her. She makes a decision and moves up carefully to hug him. He flinches, but doesn't move to push her away. Not that he hugs her back either.

Katie lets go, now with tears streaming down as she looks at Carlos like he's a total stranger. She backs up.

"I'll miss you guys…" She tells them. "I am not going to let them pull you apart. I won't. I'll find a way to bring you all back. All of you." She whispers the last part in Carlos' direction, before running out the door sobbing.

"Carlos, mijo…" Sylvia Garcia says as she and her husband are the last parents left in the room. He doesn't respond to her and just stares at the wall, again. "Your father believes it is best for you to also come back to Minnesota with us. But you may have already guessed that." She smiles a little, but looks very unsure when he again ignores her.

"Your mother and I just feel that you might recover better surrounded by your loved ones."

"We love him too…" James suddenly adds from across the room. But one glare from Antonio has him looking away.

"Like I said, we feel that you might feel more comfortable recovering with us, your family. One of my colleagues has already found an excellent counselor to help you. She is an expert in these sort of… cases and she has a lot of experience with… well… you know. People like you." He stumbles. "So, uh, we'll be leaving straight to the hospital as well. All your stuff is already packed up, so there is no need to go back to the Palm Woods. Now, we'll give you some time to say goodbye. We'll be waiting just down the hall." He pats his son on the shoulder again, grimacing when he flinches once again, before stalking out of the room, angry with the entire situation.

"It's going to be okay, Carlos." She moves to touch him, but he moves away at once. She lets out a heavy sigh, before leaving after her husband.

And so the boys are alone in the room once more. They've been there a few days, but haven't talked much. But they didn't expect not to see each other again.

"I can't believe they're doing this. They never even asked us how we felt about it." James states as he watches the door in disbelief.

"I can't believe my dad doesn't want me to see you guys again. You're my family. We've been through so much together, he can't just pull us apart…" Logan adds quietly.

"I know… This doesn't feel right…" James says as he shakes his head. "Gustavo and Kelly haven't even come to see us."

"They probably don't know what to say…" Logan replies.

"They could have at least tried! But now we find out that Gustavo has just moved on?"

"Hey, the guy needs to earn money somehow, right?" Carlos suddenly adds in a bitter tone and snorts.

"So you think it's okay for him to just push us aside?" James exclaims.

"I'm sure he didn't mean it like that.." Logan starts.

"It's not like he ever cared about us anyway. And it's been a whole year. He needs the money. And so does Griffin." Carlos casually tells them.

"Gustavo wouldn't do that. He has had the chance to choose another band, multiple times. But he always came through for us, he fought for us. And now he pushes us away? I don't buy it."

"Maybe he didn't have a choice?" Kendall's small voice suddenly adds. But the moment the other guys look at him, he flinches and averts his eyes to look at his feet.

"Whatever. I am not going to let this happen. I say we fight for it." James exclaims. "Whose with me?" He looks around.

"I don't agree with it either, but I don't think I can change my parents' minds now." Logan tells him, looking apologetic.

"Oh come on, Logan. Just stand up to them. I know you can do it." James tells him with an encouraging smile.

"James, it's not that I don't want to. It's just… Look at us. Even if we could convince Gustavo to take us back; what kind of a band would we be?" He says, pointing around at their other two friends.

"Look, I never said it would be easy. But we can't just give up like this. We worked so hard.."

"James, things are different now. Did you forget what we went through?"

"Of course I didn't forget, Logan. Look at me, I have enough scars to never let me forget!" James shouts, pointing at his face. Logan winces.

"Well, we all have scars. And you might be acting all tough right now, but honestly, I know this isn't how you really feel. You're a lot more hurt than you're letting on." He sighs when James looks away. "Look, maybe taking a break is what we all need right now. You know, just to get back on our feet again." He adds softly.

James nods. "You know what, you're right. We should take a break. A break from LA, a break from Big Time Rush, a break from us. Yeah, that will definitely make me feel better." James says sarcastically.

"James…" Logan starts.

"No, Logan. You're right. We do need a break. I uh… I'll see you guys in Minnesota." With that he carefully gets up and walks out the door, ignoring his own pain as he stalks out.

"James, don't just leave.. James!" Logan shouts, but James is already gone. He sighs, before looking at his other friends.

"Well, that could've gone better." He says as he gets up from his hospital bed. He puts his hands in his pockets and nervously stands in front of his friends. "I uh… I guess we might not see each other for a while. I mean, I will fight my dad on this, you know. He can't just keep me from seeing you. It's just… Right now… I… I can't do this." He says as his voice breaks and he starts to cry again. "I don't want to say goodbye to you. Guys? Please say something…. I know we've been through a lot, but I can't do this alone…" he looks at his friends, but their reactions remain the same. Carlos stares at the wall emotionless, while Kendall seems to be cowering in his bed. "Guys? I… I'm sorry… I can't do this…I'm sorry…" he whispers as he rushes out the door.

Kendall looks up from his bed, still shivering slightly. He looks at Carlos for a moment.

"Carlos? You're not going to leave, right? We can still see each other, right? Carlos?" Carlos doesn't look at him. Kendall carefully gets off the bed and walks over to Carlos cautiously.

"We're still friends, right? Or are you mad at me, too?" Carlos still doesn't respond. "Carlos?"

Suddenly, Carlos gets up from the bed and walks straight out the door, without looking back. Kendall watches him leave with pain in his eyes.

"Oh… Goodbye then…" He whispers and drags himself out the door as well. His mother stares down the hallway in shock and puts a hand in front of her mouth when she sees the dejected Kendall in the doorway.

"Mom?" his voice chokes and she catches him in a tight embrace as he sobs. Katie is also shocked at how the boys all came out one by one. James glaring, Logan crying, Carlos expressionless and Kendall breaking down.

She walks to the window and watches in silence as her other three big brothers step into their parents' cars and leave LA for good…

**A/N Sorry for the delay, guys! I was a little stuck for a while. I hope you like this chapter.**

**I'm sorry for the parents being so mean. But I just figured they might act like this after their sons went through this. They just want to protect them.**

**So the next chapter will take place in Minnesota and just to let you know, I will be skipping ahead a few months or so. Hope you don't mind. But anyway, again, hope you liked this chapter.**

**Thank you so much for all your support! I have to say, I am really anxious to write another angsty story I have in mind. But I have promised myself o at least finish this one or Torn Apart before I do. That story's theme is a lot less dark than this one, but still, a lot of whumpage will ensue. Just couldn't keep that to myself. But expect that to come out in a while as well At least, if you want me to ;)**

**Anywho, I am rambling now :P Again, thank you for everything and until next time!**

**Love, Baxxie**


	16. Chapter 16 Back in the snow

Chapter 16 Back in the snow…

Ending back up in Minnesota is not what any of them had in mind when their road to fame started. Not even during their year of torture. James still feels furious when the first cold brush of air meets him as he steps out of his mom's car.

He huffs and hurries out. He ignores his mother calling out his name behind him and slams the car door. He then proceeds to hurry into his old home and also slams that door shut with force.

He stomps up the stairs and gets inside his bedroom. Well, it shouldn't be his bedroom anymore. He should be at the Palm Woods, lounging by the pool. With his friends… He lets himself fall onto his bed and angrily punches a pillow that's on it.

He jumps up again and starts to throw around random items, screaming out in anger. In the end, he throws a pillow at his full-length mirror and stops.

He stares at himself in it as he is now sitting down in a bean chair. His face changes from anger to shock. His hand starts to tremble as he finally takes a good look at his own reflection.

He traces a shaking hand across the fading scars on his face, gasping at the strange feeling it gives him. He slowly gets up and starts to remove his warm vest. He keeps his eyes on the mirror and gulps as he slowly grabs the hem of his shirt and pulls it over his head.

The sight of the also fading scars on his chest make him let out a deep breath. He stands sideways and traces a hand over his stomach. He tilts his head sideways as he tries to suck it in further. Tears start to well up in his eyes when he can no longer hold his breath and he sees his stomach sticking out.

His whole body trembles now as tears slowly dribble down his face. He faces to the front again and starts to choke on his tears as one hand makes it up to his head. His hair has grown longer again, but the memories of what happened are too much.

He cries silently as he races into his own bathroom and finds a pair of scissors. With trembling hands and tars pouring down and starts to cut the strands, not stopping until his body trembles too much and he falls to the ground in a sobbing heap.

Katie Knight also never thought she'd see this house again. She couldn't even believe it when her mother said she never really sold it. She had rented it out so that they could move right back when something happened.

So when the house comes back into view, Katie finally realizes this isn't a dream. It's all real. The boys were really gone for a year. Her brother has become a small, frightened child and they are back in chilly Minnesota.

As she gets out the door, she tries to ignore her mother, who can see the distress on her daughter's face. She looks at the house with her mouth hanging open. She shakes her head, closes her eyes, and wants it to be a nightmare. But when she opens her eyes again, it's still there.

The house is still old, small, cold. Her brother is still shaking in their car, afraid of anyone who looks at him. And her mother looks so broken, but she tries to hold everything together.

She can't take it anymore and starts to back up from the house, from her family.

"Katie.." Her mother starts as she backs up more.

"No, this isn't real. None of this is real!" She screams at her mother with tears streaming down her face and makes a run for it. She hears her mother calling out her name in concern, but she can't take this. She just can't. So she keeps on running and running, until she can't go on. She falls to her knees in the snow, sobbing with no one there to help her get up.

Logan Mitchell was never a born star to begin with. It was never his dream to go to LA and become a singer. He had wanted to become a doctor. But he could never have stayed behind in Minnesota without his friends. So he went anyway and he had grown to love it. He started to become good at it. He was happy. No one was there telling him what to do and push him to get better at it. Well, Gustavo did, but that was different. He wasn't… He wasn't his parents.

So as he finds himself sitting in the car with his parents, driving back to Minnesota, he is in a full state of shock. He is furious. Not to be back here, but to be back with his parents. They never approved of anything he did. They never liked his friends and now they had even made it clear he was not to see them again.

He was going back to being Hortense Mitchell. The boy who got good grades and studied hard to become a doctor. Or Logan, the nerd. The kid with the yelling parents. He was never good enough for them. His sister was. She was the apple of their eye. Nothing she did could ever be wrong in their eyes. She was already in advanced classes of everything.

He was too, but he had to work twice as hard at it. His friends had always deemed him to be the smart one, the nerd of the group. But they never realized how hard it was for him. Or at least, he didn't think they did.

He loved the three of them. They made him feel normal. He never had to try hard around them. He could just be himself. Now who would he be? He always had them to fall back on whenever he felt bad, when anything happened. Without them, he was just Logan again.

The thoughts continue to rattle him, while he tries to tune out the bickering of his parents. He doesn't even register them stopping in front of their house. Or getting out of the car. He just remembers ending up in his room somehow and falling on his bed. He remembers crying his eyes out into a pillow, while clutching his favorite picture; the four hockey heads laughing as they try to tickle each other on camera.

Antonio Garcia knew things would be hard when he found them. He especially realized it when he looked into the empty eyes of his son. The one he found alive.

Things would never be the same. Years working on the police force taught him that these experiences could take years to overcome. He hadn't been that surprised to see his son's reaction. But it still shocked him to the core to see his son's personality completely shift to the bad side.

His wife and him always worried about the boy that would never seem to grow up. They loved the childish innocence with which he saw the world. But they were scared as well. Because the world wasn't that innocent. They knew there would come a day when he would find out about that dark side. But never had they ever wanted it to happen like this.

His entire innocence was stripped away. Nothing but an empty shell was left of the bubbly boy they had let go to LA. He had always felt weary after having given permission for that. Did he really let his innocent son go all the way to LA without him? Yeah, he could also have a real temper too and he could hold himself up in a fight. But he knew the boy's personality and everyone took advantage of his trustworthy nature to walk all over him.

He rubs a hand over his tired face again and sighs. Coming back to their home in Minnesota felt so much worse than he thought it would. It used to be filled with laughter, music, and his children squealing. But now it was quiet and felt so empty.

He looks up at the staircase and contemplates whether he should go up again. But he knows what he will find.

His son will be sitting in his windowsill, just staring outside, watching the snow with an empty look.

His wife is still angry and even his daughter won't look him in the eye. He knows this decision wasn't the easiest one he ever made. But he just wanted to do what was best for Carlos. And it was the right decision. Right?

He sighs again and his thoughts go to his other son. They would be burying their youngest child in a few days. He had never even suspected him to have gone missing for the same reason Carlos did. So when they found him in the same place, dead… It was al too much to handle.

He still didn't know what happened. But the boys did. And somehow Logan had been involved, according to Carlos anyway. It is too much to think of right now. He knows if anyone saw him now, they would say he has aged about ten years or more. He wouldn't disagree. It's exactly how he feels…

Kendall Knight had always been the strong one of the group, the leader, as everyone called it. He never liked that title. He didn't want the responsibility and he didn't like people thinking they weren't equals. All four had their own special place in the group.

But all of that had shattered within a year. Carlos wasn't the personality anymore. There was nothing left of a personality whatsoever. He had seen it. He had observed them all in painful silence.

Logan was the brain of the group. The one who stopped them from doing stupid things. He had done that in a way. But he had made sure Kendall knew what he did was the worst thing he could have ever done. It was his entire fault. He had opened his mouth, he had talked back. It was the things he had always done with Gustavo, which Logan always warned him for as well. But then, he never got this angry with Kendall. He had never seen a more hurt and disappointed expression in his eyes.

James had the looks, the confidence. But those men broke him. They took away his looks and his confidence just shattered along with it.

And he himself? He clings to his mother. He's afraid to be alone, afraid of the dark. He was supposed to protect his friends. But instead, they got hurt because of him. Nothing will ever make him forget that.

He knows how he comes across. He knows he seems like a small child now. He has seen the hurt look in his mom's eyes every time he grabs hold of her shirt or when he cries in her arms. But he can't help it. He has never so scared his entire life.

He watched his whole world crumble around him and now there is nothing left but a child. He holds up his arms, waiting to be picked up. He just needs someone to tell him it's okay. And even though his mom has used those exact words, he knows it's not. His friends are not okay. What happened was not okay. He is not okay. He never will be…

The world used to be beautiful to him. Everywhere he looked he saw more amazing things. He loved waking up in the morning to the laughter of whoever was outside or inside. Not that he was a morning person, but he always smiled.

Carlos Garcia hated it when people were sad. He always tried his best to make them smile again. Laughter was his favorite response. Maybe that was why he always did those dangerous stunts. But people never really seemed to laugh after those.

Hm. So maybe he didn't have a good reason for those stunts. He just knew he had always felt so alive when doing them. The rush it came with was so amazing every single time.

But now? No stunt could make him feel alive now. He just feels numb all over. The world suddenly doesn't look so amazing now. He had always known it wasn't so great and Disneyworld like as he saw it. But why look at the negative side of things?

As he gazes out of his bedroom window he sees nothing but pain, darkness. A child crying after he fell off his bike. Two friends fighting from across the street. A mother yelling at her children. A dog whimpering when it's owner pulls on it's leash.

No, the world wasn't so happy anymore. That child he was so into tune with? That child died in that cell in LA. He died right along with his younger brother. It feels weird, having no emotions. He wants to be angry. He wants to cry. He wants to laugh even. But nothing.

He remembers leaving the hospital in LA. He remembers Kendall standing in front of him, begging him not to leave him. He remembers watching a strong friendship disappear into thin air. He remembers how he wanted to say something, anything. But he didn't feel anything when he stood up and left the heartbroken Kendall behind.

He wants to care. He wants to care enough to go over, hug his friend and say everything will be all right. But he doesn't care. He didn't care when they finally arrived back in Minnesota.

He should care about being in the cold again. He should care that Big Time Rush is over. He should care that the three best friends he grew up with, his brothers are all alone, not talking. But as much as he wants to, he really doesn't.

He watches as the snow slowly falls to the ground and stares into the nothingness. That is his only friend now, because that is him. He is now just another human being walking on the big earth. And he feels nothing…

**A/N Hi! Just wanted to get some thoughts in here. Not everyone got in here, but I feel the most important people did and maybe the others will get a turn later. I know, it was very dark, but that's what happens.**

**I hope it wasn't too confusing and that it was realistic enough. If it wasn't, just let me know, I can always go back and change it **

**Thanks again for all the support! It is so late right now and I should be in bed. But my head is going around in circles because someone I'm not even officially friends with told me we should take some space and I can't figure out what is going on. I really shouldn't care, because he has always been weird like that. But we don't even talk that much, so it's just so frustrating and he won't explain what the hell he's talking about. So yeah, sorry :P I have to vent a little.**

**I can't believe this is keeping me up. Especially since I don't think I did anything wrong and I know he's weird, we've had strange experiences in our 'friendship' before. Still, I guess I just don't like it when people say something and then don't explain themselves. It's like he knows it's annoying me.**

**Anyway, I am rambling now. I hope you liked this chapter and I am going to try and get some sleep. I have class tomorrow, so hope not to fall asleep during that :P**

**Thank you again and until next time!**

**Love, Baxxie**


	17. Chapter 17 Wanna play video games?

Chapter 17 Wanna play video games?

It's been about two months since everyone is back in Minnesota. Each family thought things would get easier after a while. But things couldn't have gone more wrong.

Brooke Diamond sits in the large mansion-like house and stares at her son. They are sitting at the dinner table. The table is filled with delicious food and even though her son and herself are the only ones to eat it, there is so much you'd think the family is much bigger.

But the only reason she made sure there was so much, was because she had been paying attention. She had worked long enough in the cosmetics industry to notice the signs. Maybe he thought she didn't, but she had been watching her son closely. Did he really think she wouldn't notice the bags under his sunken eyes? Or the way his clothes started to look bigger on him every single week?

And now again she watches him with concerned eyes as he sits at the stable just staring ahead. His fork is held loosely in his hands as he pushes the food around on his plate.

The scars are still very eminent on his face, but he seems to try and cover up his body more and more. No longer does he wear the tight pants and shirt. Now it's just baggy clothes, which she didn't even know he owned. His hair is shorter than normal and he doesn't care to do anything with it. She has to practically drag him into the bathroom to take a shower or he wouldn't do that either.

She thinks back of the first day they arrived here and finding him breaking down on his bathroom floor. She tried to ignore the loose hairs surrounding him on the ground and just pulled the broken boy in her arms.

She knows what people think of her. They might believe her to be some stuck-up rich snob who doesn't care about anyone but herself and her looks. But she does care about her son and it terrifies her that he is pulling away from her like this. She remembers seeing Carlos in the hospital and knows how distant he has become. So uncaring. She doesn't want James to end up like that. She can't.

"James, sweetie, why don't you take some more vegetables." She offers with a slight smile. He looks at her for a moment, before looking at his food. For a second it seems like he might faint at the sight of it. But he recovers fast and even offers her a small smile, before grabbing a piece of carrot with his fork.

"There you go. Now isn't that better?" She asks as she watches him force himself to eat. She tries to hide how much it hurts to see him do this to himself. The boy who once cared so much about his looks just wasting away.

She sighs and puts down her own fork. "James, please talk to me. We've been here for three weeks and you haven't exactly been gaining weight. In fact, I think you're losing even more. Why won't you eat? Sonia made all your favorites."

"I'm just not that hungry." He replies softly, avoiding her gaze as much as he can.

"Honey, I'm not stupid. I've worked in the cosmetics industry for years, I've been around models and I know all the methods they used to starve themselves." He looks up in slight shock at that.

"I'm not…" he starts, but his mother interrupts him.

"Look, I know you're not happy about moving back here, but starving yourself isn't going to help." She tells him and his eyes turn to slight anger.

"I'm not starving myself, mom. I-… I'm fine." He sighs with a deep sigh. "Excuse me." He says before standing up and leaving the table all together.

"James Isaac Diamond, you sit right back down this instant! You've hardly eaten anything. Now you sit down and finish that plate!" She tells him in a stern tone. Everyone around her knows not to go against Brooke Diamond. James and his friends had always been too scared to stand up to her. So she expected him to just do as she says.

She didn't expect him to smirk and then laugh, shaking his head in disbelief, before resuming his way up the stairs. She stares after him in shock, flinching when his bedroom door slams in the distance.

She stands at the table and for a moment doesn't know how to respond. But then she sits down slowly and starts to finish her own dinner. He doesn't honestly think he can keep this up?

At the Mitchell residence, things have basically gone back to normal. Which really means Steve and Joanne are trying their best to pretend everything is fine and that their children are amazing.

They still host parties at their house, inviting their friends over and pretending not to notice their shocked glances in Logan's direction. The boy still looks thin, but he has started to gain more weight and his skin is a more healthy color now. But it is still a shade of pale and the large bags under his eyes show everyone just how little sleep he's been getting.

They force him to sit by them during the dinner parties, laughing and acting like nothing ever happened. Like he never left. They have told their friends of his plans of going back to school and taking his advanced classes. He'll finally be on his way to become a doctor.

He just sits there and listens to them talk about him like his opinion never mattered in the first place. Even when anyone asks about his band, his parents dismiss it, acting like it was just a phase.

But what hurts the most is the way they start another subject every time one of the other guys is mentioned. He knows other people have noticed, it is proved when they throw him sympathetic glances now and then. Or the way they squeeze his shoulder or slightly hug him when they say goodbye.

Logan takes it all in. It's not that he wants to fight it. It's not that he doesn't want to scream and yell at them to leave him along. He wants to go out and run over to any of his friends and let them hug him and tell him everything will be okay. But they are just as broken as he is, if not even more. So he knows this option isn't there.

He doesn't know a single time he hasn't stared out of his bedroom window at night and looked at the Knight residence longingly. He wishes so much for Kendall to come out and ask him to come play hockey with him. But he's been thinking a lot these past three weeks. He didn't have a choice, since his parents haven't let him leave the house at all.

He realized how bad their protectiveness was when Alex' funeral came around and they wouldn't allow him to go. Not that he really wanted to, for his own reasons. But he wanted to go for Carlos, for the Garcia's. But when Antonio Garcia personally came to the door to ask them to come, they just turned him down completely.

He had sat on the stairs, listening to them arguing. Mr. Garcia had told them they couldn't just decide for him. He had an opinion of his own. He had even said he didn't like how they had transferred Logan to another school. Yeah, they had said before they didn't want their son to hang out with the other three anymore. But he hadn't thought they meant that.

But his parents made it quite clear they were serious. He wasn't to see 'those boys' anymore and with that, they didn't want to see the parents anymore either for that matter. Antonio Garcia had yelled at them. How could they do this to Logan? How could hey keep him locked up inside the house like that? They were his parents. Didn't they care?

He wanted to jump up and hug Mr. Garcia for standing up for him like that. But the door was quickly slammed in his face after that. Now there was definitely no chance he would ever see the Garcia's again. No more Carlos. Not that there was any Carlos left anyway.

He sighs as he once again sits in his family living room; forced to wear the clothes his mother thinks makes him look smart. Another night filled with being polite while people stare at him pitifully. Listening to his parents lay out his entire future. He takes it all in and tries to drown out everything around him.

One more week and school will start. Here come those new friends he always wished for. But the friends he really wishes for are probably not the ones he'll see anytime soon.

Over in the Knight residence, Jennifer Knight can't believe how tiring the last three weeks have been. No one has had much sleep and most of that is because of the nightmares one of them has been having.

It's also the only moment in the day when he makes the most noise. Kendall is so quiet and scared the rest of the day, it's strange to hear him screaming so much at night.

It doesn't help that her daughter is still angry most of the time. Katie is angry at a lot of things. She's angry about having to live in Minnesota again. She's angry at how scared her brother is. She's angry at everyone for keeping the boys apart. But she doesn't realize that not everyone is trying to do that.

When they went to Alex Garcia's funeral, Katie threw a fit. She screamed at everyone there how they could just sit there and let this all happen. How they could shatter the boys' friendship like that. Jennifer had to pull her daughter away to remind her this was not the time or place to discuss it.

That didn't go well, since she ran off at once. It wasn't until after the funeral that her mom found her already home again. She just sat on the doorstep, waiting for the door to open and then angrily went upstairs.

The whole fit started when she found out Logan hadn't been allowed to come to the funeral and James just didn't show. But it wasn't like that. Jennifer had seen Brooke and James. They were just very far away. She sighed when she saw that. She knew Brooke had good intentions, but hiding the boy from public like that wasn't fixing anything. Preparing to get him home-schooled definitely didn't either.

But as she sits at the dinner table with both her children, feeling absolutely exhausted, she knows she has her own things to worry about. Especially since Katie still ignores her half of the time and yells the other half. All the while Kendall seems to tremble all day long, looking ready to burst out crying if anyone just as much says one word.

All the yelling Katie does, hasn't been helping things along at all. But Jennifer has realized that it is the yelling that is making him this scared. It makes her figure out that whatever happened in that prison, this is the crucial bit of information to bring back her son.

A knock on the door makes her snap out of her thoughts momentarily as she stands up. Opening the door, she is surprised to find Sylvia Garcia on the other side. Even more surprising is her son Carlos standing by her side.

Judging from his thin form, she knows he hasn't been eating or sleeping well either. But the dark look on his face also shows her things have not improved at all these past few weeks.

"Jennifer, I am so sorry to barge over like this. I just… I'd like to talk to you and I.. Oh, you were eating? I'm sorry, I should have called. I'll come back later." She turns around again, but Jennifer quickly grabs her shoulder.

"No, Sylvia, don't be silly. It's fine. We were just about finished anyway. Come on in." She opens the door wider to let the pair in. "How are you, Carlos?" She asks, but he doesn't even so much as look at her.

"So, how have you been? It seems like forever since we last saw you." Jennifer exclaims.

"Yes, well, things haven't been easy." Sylvia says with a small smile. Jennifer smiles back and realizes the woman in front of her is just as exhausted as she is. In a moment, she pulls the woman into her arms and embraces her tightly in comfort. Sylvia takes a moment, but then hugs her back. When they let go, both women have tears in their eyes.

"Well. Uh, why don't you sit down. I'll go make some coffee." Jennifer offers as he own children stare from the dinner table. Sylvia motions for her son to follow, but he brushes her off and stays where he is. He stands in front of the door and stares at Kendall. He in turn stares at Carlos in some shock. A small smile forms on his face when he sees his friend and he nervously gets up.

"Hi." He offers in a small voice. Carlos doesn't respond, but he does keep staring. "Uh, you want to go play videogames?"

Everyone turns to Kendall in some slight shock. One, because the question seems so natural, but unnatural for Kendall to ask it seeing his frightened state all the time. And two, this is Carlos. Yes, in the past this would exactly the thing to ask him. But now, seeing how he responds to things, why would he even bother to ask?

It breaks Jennifer Knight's heart to hear her son ask that. She wants to hug him at once for being so like himself at that moment. And even though the question seems so harmless, the way he asked it in such a childlike manner… She doesn't really want to know what will happen when and if Carlos responds and turns him down. He sounded so hopeful.

"Kendall, honey? Maybe Carlos would…"

"Okay." Jennifer turns to the Latino boy in slight shock, her mouth open as she stares at him. She frowns and looks at Sylvia on the couch questioningly, but the woman looks just as confused as she is.

"Really? Come one." Kendall smiles bigger than she has seen in a while and she almost cries at the sight of it. He reminds her of when he was only four. A memory pops into her head of that time.

_Kendall was four and happily screamed for her as he bounded inside the house. On his hand was a small Latino boy, cute as a button, with big brown eyes and dimples in his cheek while he smiled and giggled. A black hockey helmet bounced on his head as Kendall dragged him towards hi mother._

"_Look, mom. This is Carlos. He moved in down the street. Can he stay over?" He asked her with a toothy grin and sparkling eyes._

"_Well, I don't know. I don't really know him." She tells the boys and has to stifle a laugh when both boys pout as hard as they can. "Do your parents know you're here?" She asks the small boy. He nods so hard his helmet falls over his eyes. It's clearly too big for him, but seeing the numerous scrapes and bruises along his arms and legs, she knows he has a good reason for wearing it._

"_So can he stay, mommy? Please?" Kendall asks again. She puts on a face like she's thinking really hard._

"_I don't know…" She says with a lot of doubt in her voice. From the corner of her eyes she can see Kendall whisper something to his friend. He just nods and as she looks down she almost gasps. The small boy has put on the saddest puppy dog eyes she has ever seen. The more she stares, the more she is shocked and she wonders if his parents have seen this look. _

"_Okay, okay. Wow." She says to herself more than to them. Both boys cheer loudly and their large grins are back. _

"_Come on, Carlos, let's go play video games." _

"_Okay. Bye, mis.. uhm.." She watches as his face scrunches up in a frown while he thinks hard about what he wants to say._

"_Mrs. Knight." She tells him and he looks up curiously, before smiling at her._

"_Thanks, mama Knight." Her eyes widen a little when she hears those words come out of the little boy's mouth. She can hear Kendall dragging him off now and he waves at her. She waves back, shaking her head at their silliness. _

_Soon, the house is filled with giggling and laughter as her son's first real friend stays over the first time. _

She didn't realize then that she would be seeing this boy a whole lot more from now on and that the phrase 'mama Knight' would be something she'd get to hear years to come. As much as she likes to think back of those times, it pains her even more to realize that that bubbly four-year-old Latino boy has seemed to disappear completely.

But she also knows, if there is anyone to bring him back, the three friends could do it. She knows the other parents might not agree with her. But she knows this; these boys need each other.

She walks back into the living room and tries to keep her emotions in check. For one moment, she recognizes her son again as he excitedly sets up the game system and hands Carlos a controller. His smile doesn't falter, even when Carlos still shows no emotion.

Kendall may still seem hesitant and scared, but right now he is just so happy to see his friend, he just wants to help him. Jennifer watches the screen as a game of Mario Kart comes into view. Carlos silently sits on the couch, controller in hand.

Kendall watches him curiously. "You have to choose a character now." He tells his friend, but when Carlos doesn't move, he hesitantly moves his hands to the controller. Carlos stiffens and keeps his eyes on the screen when Kendall's fingers brush his, but he doesn't say anything. Kendall carefully chooses a character for him and Carlos just watches him from the corner of his eye.

They start to play in silence and Sylva has gotten up in the meantime and walked towards the dinner table. Jennifer hands her a cup of coffee and together they walk into the kitchen.

"I just… I didn't even think he would do that. When Kendall asked…" Sylvia starts, eyeing the door of the kitchen.

"I know. This just proves what I was thinking already." Jennifer announces. Sylvia looks at her in confusion. "Sylvia, these boys. It's wrong for them to be apart anymore."

"Well, not that I don't agree, but they are together now." Sylvia tells her and frowns.

"No, I know. And I am so happy you came over here. I mean, just look at them out there. They're not exactly jumping up ad down with excitement, but it's a step, you know?" Sylvia nods, but she still looks confused.

"She means we should get the other boys together as well." Katie's voice suddenly joins in from the door. Her arms are crossed over her chest and she still looks angry. But Jennifer nods at her, showing that is exactly what she meant.

Sylvia sighs. "Look, I know. I've been thinking the same thing since the beginning. I thought it was horrible splitting them up in the first place. I'm sorry for staying away myself. But you know how Brooke and Joanna are. I just… Antonio tried to talk to the Mitchells about Logan. It's so awful how they're keeping him locked up in that house, making him go to that preppy school next week. It's just so… wrong." She finishes. Jennifer sighs as well.

"Which is why we need to do something." She says with some determination.

"Now we're talking." Katie sighs, a sudden devious grin appears on her face.

**A/N Sorry, I'm not sure if this is very realistic now. And maybe I rushed it too. What do you think?**

**Thank you for all the support again. These boys are s much better together, don't you think? So now the plan starts to bring them back. Your ideas are all welcome **

**Since I am making less and less sense now, I am going to stop writing. I'll try again tomorrow and maybe the next chapter won't suck :P**

**Let me know what you think and until next time!**

**Love, Baxxie**


	18. Chapter 18 On the Road

Chapter 18 On the Road

It's been five days since three women talked in the Knight kitchen and came up with a plan. A plan that would reunite their four boys so they could become whole again.

They needed to hurry. Because soon school was starting again and they agreed on one thing; none of the boys were staying here. Things couldn't go on. Logan couldn't start prep school and get forced into making new friends. James could not start home schooling and become hidden and locked away forever. And Kendall and Carlos needed to be able to spend time together, without people watching them constantly or trying to force them to go back to the way they were. They needed time and space to heal with the four of them. The women knew exactly how to give it to them.

This was why Katie Knight finds herself climbing the large tree just outside of Logan Mitchell's bedroom window. She is as quiet as possible, making sure not to alarm his parents, who are quietly reading in the living room downstairs. As she finally reaches the top branch, she takes a small pebble out of her pocket and carefully throws it at the window.

It bounces off the glass with a small bump. Katie waits for a moment and watches the room for any movement. She frowns when she sees no one. She sighs and throws another pebble, with more force now. Last chance.

She almost yells out in glee when she suddenly sees a shape sitting upright from the bed underneath the window. She nearly gasps when he turns towards the glass and meets her eyes. This was Logan? The heavy bags underneath his red, tired eyes shows her he needs this escape, more than anything. He frowns when he sees her and looks around for a moment, almost scared that his parents could walk in any second. She motions for him to open the window. He gulps, but then hesitantly moves forward and slides the glass upwards.

He takes in a deep breath of fresh air and Katie wonders for a moment how long it's been since he's been outside at all. But she snaps out of it when she remembers why she came.

"Hey Logan." She quietly says with a small smile. He smiles back slightly, his eyes showing how happy he is to see a familiar face.

"What are you doing here?" He almost whispers. She nearly winces at how careful he is being. It makes her feel so angry for his parents to lock him in here like a criminal. She wishes she could just take him with her right now. But that's not part of the plan. It would ruin everything.

"I uh, I came to give you this." She replies after a moment and pulls a piece of paper out her pocket. "Don't read it right now, just wait until I'm gone." She tells him as she reaches out to hand him the letter. He takes it with trembling hands. He sends another questioning look her way as he holds the folded piece. "It's going to be okay, Logan. Everything is going to be okay." Is the last thing she whispers to him, when she hurries down the branches.

He heard his mother's voice down the hall just as clearly, but he wishes she could have stayed. He had longed for anyone to talk to for so long now. Just a familiar face. It was all he wanted. He watches her with sad eyes as she hurries back to her own house. She looks back one more time and smiles at him with a nod. He looks at the folded piece of paper in his hands again and he suddenly believes her words. Her promise; everything will be okay.

Before reading it, he quickly stuffs the paper in his back pocket as his mother opens his bedroom door.

"Logan, I was calling you. You didn't answer." She scolds slightly as she watches the open window curiously.

"I'm sorry, mother. I felt really warm suddenly, so I opened the window for some fresh air. I guess the noise from traffic kept me form hearing you." He answers with a polite smile. She looks suspicious, but lets it slide.

"Just come downstairs in one hour, okay? The Goldman's are coming over. Their son will be going to Oakdale as well and he is dying to meet you. Just think about it; your first real friend." She says, her smile growing with excitement for her son, before silently closing the door behind her.

He smiles back politely as his fingers fish out the letter out of his pocket. He sits on his bed while slowly unfolding

The next house to be visited is the Diamond mansion. Luckily, James isn't in lock down like Logan is. But it still isn't easy to get past the front door.

"I'm sorry, Katie. James just isn't ready for visitors right now." Brooke Diamond politely smiles as she tries to close the door. But young Katie is not backing down and quickly puts her foot in between the door. Brooke looks at her in disbelief. When did everyone stop listening to her?

"Mrs. Diamond, I know you think James doesn't want to see anyone, but please, I just need to talk to him. It'll only take a minute." She stubbornly says as Brooke tries to close the door again.

"Katie, I said no. He is not ready for visitors!" Brooke argues as the two women battle the door.

Neither notices James as he stands behind his mother, watching with a frown as she struggles to close the door. But when Katie is close enough to stick her head through the door opening, she breaks out into a smile.

"James! I'm so glad to see you!" He almost smiles back, but covers it up quickly and puts a scowl back on his face. "James, I need to talk to you. I uh, I need some advice. Please, I can't ask anyone else. You're the only one with an actual fashion sense." Katie pleads. James frowns at this. She's clearly lying right now. But he hears the urgency in her voice.

"Mom, it's okay. Just let me talk to her." He quietly says. His mother looks up in disbelief.

"James, I don't think that's a good idea." She immediately says, still firmly holding the door. He strides over and puts one hand on the door himself.

"Just give us a minute." He says, a stern look in his eyes. His mother wants to argue, but she doesn't need her son even madder at her. So she sighs and lets go of the door, walking away.

James sighs and stands halfway in the door, clearly not wanting to open it further. Katie again tries not to gasp when she takes in her fourth brother. He looks nothing like "The Face" anymore. His hair is shorter than she remembers, looking messy, unkempt, and lifeless. His clothes are baggy, not matching. He looks like he completely gave up.

He looks smaller, thinner, weaker than she remembers. This is not James. She hasn't noticed how long she's been staring when he suddenly coughs slightly and closer the door a little further.

"How uh, how are you?" She quietly asks. He looks down, embarrassed now. Again, large bags are visible under his eyes. She wonders if all the guys share the same nightmares every night.

"Why are you here, Katie?" He asks her. She is taken aback at that. She thought he'd be happy to see her. But he sounds so tired, defeated.

"I uh… I came to give you this." She says after she pulls herself together again and pulls a second letter out of her pocket. "Read it when you're by yourself and please, James. Don't give up. Everything is going to be okay. I promise." She offers with the same promise and smile she gave Logan. But the hopefulness she saw appear in the smart boy's eyes is not visible at all right now.

"What is this? This is why you're here? Just to give me some stupid letter?" He asks as he holds the piece of paper and waves it around.

"James, just read it, please." She tells him as she eyes the form of Brooke Diamond watching them from the kitchen. He huffs.

"What is so interesting about this damn letter?" James asks her angrily with a strange grin.

"James, I'm begging you, just read it. It's really important. I know you're tired and that you're ready to give up, but help is on the way." She whispers the last part to him and he frowns. "Everything is going to be okay." She whispers again and another emotion shows in his eyes. He eyes the letter in his hands. He looks up to say something, but the young teen is already gone.

He slowly closes the door, keeping his eyes on the letter.

"What's that?" His mother asks from the kitchen. His eyes shoot up and he annoyingly shakes his head. He rolls his eyes and heads for the staircase. "James, I asked you a question."

He ignores his mother's calls and heads for his bedroom. Unbelievable how she doesn't trust anything he does. He angrily slams the door behind him and lies down on his bed.

How dare Katie look at him like that? With so much pity? And then accuse him of giving up. He didn't give up. He just…

He sighs and punches a pillow beside him. He holds up his hand and once again eyes the folded paper in his hands. He sits up and slowly unfolds it.

It's 4AM on Sunday when a window slowly slides open without a sound. A bag comes barreling out, and whispered cursing follows the slight Banging sound the bag makes when it hits the ground. A dark figure sticks his head out the window quickly, looking around to see if anyone reacts. He sighs a sigh of relief. Nothing.

Slowly and carefully he starts to maneuver himself out of the window and towards the tree branch next to his window. He nearly falls, but he manages to grip onto the branch securely, before climbing down as silently as possible. At the last moment, he drops himself to the ground, landing on his feet next to his bag. He looks up at his house quickly once again. But this time his eyes show small guilt.

"I'm sorry…" He whispers, before he grabs his bag and sneaks out of the font yard towards another house.

He walks up towards the door and nervously holds up his hand, before dropping it again. He used to come over here all the time. But it's been so long and things are so weird now… Did he used to knock before or ring the doorbell? Wait, they had a doorbell?

As he ponders this, he doesn't notice the door opening. He finally looks up and his brown eyes meet green eyes with bushy eyebrows.

"Hey, Kendall." He quietly whispers. Never before has there been this much tension between them. Neither teen knows what to say as they stand in the doorway quietly.

"Logan, you made it!" Katie quietly exclaims as she pushes Kendall out of the way and pulls Logan into a hug. Logan smiles fondly, but tenses up a little. He awkwardly pats the girl's back.

Katie lets go and quickly looks outside from left to right, before closing the door.

"Mom, look, Logan's here!" She quietly calls out as she rushes into the living room. Jennifer Knight walks over quickly and her eyes tear up as she sees Logan nervously holding his bag. She rushes over and envelops him in her arms right away. He doesn't know how to react at first, but he soon puts his arms around her as well and tries not to fall apart on the spot.

It's been so long since he has been held like that, loved like that. He can't help but let tears fall from his eyes and get lost in the loving embrace.

Mrs. Knight holds him quietly and rubs his back as he quietly cries in her arms. She tries to keep in her own tears as she holds the fragile boy.

When he finally calms down, she lets go and looks at him with a loving smile.

"I'm sorry…" He whispers as she wipes his tears away. He looks down in embarrassment.

"Don't be, sweetie." She tells him, shaking her head. "Don't ever feel sorry for showing your emotions, Logan. I'm just glad you're here." She tells him and she pulls him in for a final hug.

He sniffles a little once she lets him go and he gives her a grateful smile. He looks around and sees Kendall nervously watching him from the door.

"How are you, Kendall?" he asks quietly, but Kendall's eyes just grow wide and he quickly hurries away. Logan sighs, closing his eyes dejectedly.

"Logan, I am so glad you came." Katie tells him excitedly. "I knew you would."

He smiles slightly. "Yeah, well. There's only so much I can take of my parent's parties." Katie grins. "So uh, is it just me and Kendall?" He asks nervously.

"Nope. I gave James a letter too. He should be here any minute." She says with a determined look. Logan smiles.

"But wait, just James? Not Carlos?" He asks with a slight frown and some worry. Katie just grins.

"No need. Come on, I'll show you." She grabs his hand and pulls him into the living room. He nervously glances around and stops moving when he sees Carlos and his mother sitting on the couch, a suitcase on the floor beside them.

"He's been coming over since about a week now. He's been playing video games with Kendall." She informs him. Logan smiles slightly, but its no longer real. Yes, he is happy that Kendall and Carlos seem to be doing better. But it would feel a lot better if he was included and if Kendall didn't shy away from him every time he saw him. He watches Carlos and even though he hopes there is a glimmer of his old friend on the couch, all he sees is emptiness with a dark shell.

"Okay, guys, we really should go now if we want to get there in time." Jennifer Knight announces. Logan and Kendall both look at her with scared eyes.

"But James…" Kendall quietly starts as he looks at the door, as if longing it will open right then.

"I'm sorry, honey. But we can't wait. We have to go before sunrise, before everyone starts to wake up." She tells him and squeezes his shoulder lovingly. Her heart breaks at the hurt in his eyes.

"We can't go without him, mom. We can't." He tells her, his eyes pleading, hoping. She shakes her head and gathers him into her arms. He lays his head on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I guess he just needs more time." She whispers to him. She feels him nod sadly and lets go of him. He looks at the ground and as she looks at Logan, his eyes are just as sad. "Well, come on guys. We should really go now." She says as she walks towards the door with her own bag and opens it.

Sylvia also stands now and tries to pull Carlos up with her. But without a word he stands up himself and walks out the door. She sighs, but grabs his suitcase and pulls it towards the door quietly. Katie quickly follows, looking excited and even trying to get Carlos excited as well.

This leaves Logan and Kendall as they stand in the small hallway. They both look at the floor, not really sure of what to say.

"So uh, you want to..." But Logan doesn't get to finish his sentence, because Kendall quickly grabs his suitcase and walks out the door. He sighs and closes his eyes. This is going to be so much more difficult than he thought.

He follows suit and soon all bags are in the minivan. The guys are inside the car, Katie in the front seat, while Logan is in the middle row, and Kendall and Carlos are in the back.

Jennifer Knight is standing outside with the tearing up Sylvia Garcia.

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Jennifer asks the woman. She shakes her head quickly.

"I have more children to take care of. They need me here." She looks at Carlos with pain in her eyes again, but he doesn't acknowledge her at all. She looks back and forces a smile as Jennifer grabs her hands and squeezes softly. "Just take care of them, Jen. Bring my baby back." Her voice cracks as the tears finally take over. Jennifer hugs her immediately.

"I will, I promise I'll bring him back. We're going to bring them all back. It's going to be okay." She promises, her own lip quivering slightly as she sniffles.

"The others will never forgive us for this. Antonio will never forgive me." Sylvia muses as the women part from their embrace.

"They will. Sure they'll be angry at first. But they'll come round, you'll see. It's what's best for the boys and right now, this is it." Sylvia nods.

"Just take care of them and once you're able to, give Carlos a hug for me." The woman says, Jennifer's heart breaking at how much it must hurt not to be able to hug her own son anymore.

"I will." She quietly responds. Sylvia nods.

"Okay, well. You should go. You've got a long way to go." Sylvia tells her and Jennifer nods.

"Take care of our boys." Jennifer smiles and gets into the car, Sylvia standing back. She wraps her jacket around her body a little tighter and stares at her lost son one last time. The car rumbles to life quickly as Jennifer starts the car. Sylvia watches as the car suddenly moves.

"Wait, wait!" A voice suddenly makes Sylvia turn her head. The car starts to drive, but as Sylvia recognizes who is calling out, she quickly motions for her to stop. Jennifer frowns, but puts her foot on the brake.

A figure comes running over with a bag. He pants as he stops.

Sylvia smiles at him with tears in her eyes.

"Can I still come?" James softly requests as everyone watches him with wide eyes. Jennifer and Katie quickly exit the car to help him with his bag. Jennifer puts it inside, while Katie attacks James with a tight hug. He smiles for the first time in a long while. She opens the car door for him and he seems a little surprised that everyone is there.

He looks at his friends in hesitation, but then slides in next to Logan. Carlos still stares off into space, while Kendall stares at James. But when James catches him and smiles, he looks away as quickly as he can. His smile falters and he looks towards the front instead.

The door is closed and while Jennifer says goodbye to Sylvia one last time, now the car really is ready to move. Jennifer and Katie wave at Sylvia as they drive off. Sylvia stands watching until the car disappears from sight. She takes a deep breath before walking off towards her own house. Ready to face everyone as they woke up to find their children gone once again. But with a good reason this time.

Hours later a car stops in front of a large building. The sunshine greets the newcomers as they step out of the car. They watch as the rays of sunshine glisten on the front of the building: Welcome to the Palm Woods.

**A/N I am so sorry for keeping you guys waiting. I have been very busy with school and I was kind of stuck as well with my stories. I finally got back into a writing mood, so here's a new chapter.**

**So, the plan is not very extensive and a little easy maybe, but I think this is what could happen. I hope you all like it and thank you for your patience **

**Let me know what you think and I'll try to update a little sooner this time. I'm not sure yet about the new chapter, but I'll try to come with something. Until then, if you have ideas, let me know **

**Thanks for everything guys, the reviews keep me writing!**

**Love, Baxxie**


	19. Chapter 19 Home at last

Chapter 19 Home at last…

The Palm Woods building used to be full of life. Kids and teens used to run around, laughing and lounging by the famous pool. But walking inside now, people would never believe it.

Behind the desk in the lobby stands the hotel manager, Mr. Bitters. He looks incredibly bored as he puts on another fake welcome smile and hands a key to a new resident. The smile fades immediately and he rolls his eyes as he watches the teens sitting in the lobby. It's so quiet inside the building. It's like something is missing. Everyone can feel it. And it's been like that for over a year now.

The more familiar faces around the fire pit don't just look bored. They look dejected, sad. They sit together every day, even though they aren't all friends. At least, they weren't before. But now they all share something; they all miss the four hockey heads from Minnesota who became a music band.

It was hard when they went missing for that whole year. Everyone started to believe they were gone. They were ecstatic when they were found, alive. But things felt even worse when their parents took them home, to Minnesota. It feels horrible to know they're alive, but so far away.

Jo and Camille especially tried to get in touch with them. They tried to visit them in the hospital. But their parents wouldn't allow them. Said they needed to rest. And now still, no one can reach them.

So every day, they sit around the fire pit, singing the songs their friends used to sing. Jo, Camille, Guitar Dude, the Jennifers, Lightning and even Jett share stories about the four friends. Sometimes others join them, but as much fun as it is bringing back those memories, Palm Woods is not the same.

Mr. Bitters flips through a magazine on his desk. The only sound in the entire lobby is the pages being moved. He rolls his eyes in an annoyed fashion when he hears the front door opening. New residents. Great. He gets ready to put on his fake smile again and looks up.

"Hello and welcome to…" He trails off and his mouth falls open in shock as he eyes the six familiar faces in front of him.

Jennifer Knight smiles at him, while Katie actually goes up to hug him.

"Bitters!" She yells out and he awkwardly pats her back as he tries to get her to let go.

"Wow… I uh…" He stumbles as things get very awkward fast.

He eyes the others, but is shocked to say the least. Kendall looks at the floor, avoiding everyone and looking very scared. Logan stares ahead with sad eyes and looks over to his friends every one in a while. Carlos also stares ahead, but his face is stone cold. And James… James' face can't even be seen. He is wearing sunglasses and a hat and the rest of his face is covered with a scarf.

"Well, uh… welcome back to the Palm Woods." He stammers as he hopes they haven't noticed him staring. He hurries back behind his desk as Mrs. Knight and Katie approach him. He puts on a nervous smile, but at least this time it's real.

"It's great to see you again." Jennifer Knight tells the manager. He only nods. "Uh, can we have our old apartment back?"

Katie looks at him with hopeful eyes.

"I uh… sure. I uh, made sure it stayed available once they were found." He nervously admits as he searches for the key.

Meanwhile, other residents have stopped to stare at the guys. They all try to avoid everyone's gazes as they stand in the middle of the lobby. Whispering is going around and Katie turns around angrily.

"Hey, what are you all looking at? They're still the same, you know." She growls, while her mother tries to shush her. The staring teens quickly advert their eyes when even Bitters shoots them a glare.

"Well, here's the key. How about I help you with those bags?" He offers suddenly. Jennifer Knight and her daughter exchange surprised looks.

"Um, sure. Thank you." Jennifer tells the man as he hurries over and grabs two bags. He walks towards the elevators and the small group follows him. It doesn't escape the teens' eyes the way Kendall immediately grips his mother's arm for safety when they start to walk. Or the way James lingers in the back, trying to go unnoticed.

They wait for the elevators to come down, when suddenly a group of teens busts through the lobby doors.

"Is it true, are they really here?" A female voice loudly shouts out excitedly. Just then a loud squeal is heard. "Logan!"

Logan turns around with wide eyes and just manages to step aside, before Camille can launch into his arms. He winces as she hits the floor, but that's really not the kind of attention he wants right now.

"Oh my god." Another female voice sounds. "Kendall?" She nearly whispers. Jo tries to walk over, but the boy in question buries himself in his mother's back. The group of teens watching them can't help but gasp. This couldn't be Kendall. Kendall wasn't scared of anything. "Kendall? It's me, Jo." The blonde girl tells him, but he almost whimpers when she reaches out a hand to touch him.

She pulls back immediately and her hand flies in front of her mouth. She can feel her eyes tear up at the sight of her once boyfriend looking so scared, like a little boy. She shakes her head and runs out of the lobby as fast as she can.

Camille has gotten up from the floor and has watched the exchange nervously. She watches all four of the boys and frowns.

"Wow… It's been so long. I hardly recognize you guys…" She tells them with a small smile. But they can hear how much her voice trembles.

Even the Jennifers are speechless. Which is something that doesn't happen. They look like they want to say something, but as they witness James trying to hide The Face, they know what happened to the guys is something far worse than they thought.

Everything becomes even worse the moment Lightning runs into the lobby. He is barking and wagging his tail as he runs towards Carlos. Everyone smiles, but as soon as Carlos turns towards the happy dog, the situation changes dramatically. Lightning stops running and instead of barking, he starts to whimper. His tail falls down between his legs and he backs up and behind Guitar Dude's legs for comfort.

The teens try not to gasp at the emptiness and darkness surrounding the boy in front of them. It is like the air is sucked away from them, until a sudden ding alerts them to the arrival of the elevator.

The group hurries inside and when the doors close, the teens stand watching in shocked silence. They breathe a sigh of relief and exchange glances.

"What just happened?" Camille spills at once, while still watching the elevator doors.

"I don't know. But those can't be the same guys…" Blond Jennifer speaks out and everyone else just nods.

"They're going to need a lot of help." Guitar Dude murmurs. They nod again and soon retreat to the fire pit to talk.

Upstairs, Bitters leads the small group towards a familiar door; 2J stands out and Katie smiles widely. She's practically bouncing on her feet as she waits impatiently for Bitters to open the door for them.

The moment the door is open, Katie flies inside and shrieks of happiness follow quickly. Mrs. Knight laughs and shakes her head in amusement. Bitters heads inside as well and sets the bags down in the living area. Jennifer Knight looks around and is nearly brought to tears when she takes in the surroundings that look like they never left in the first place.

James looks around quickly to see if anyone has noticed him. When he sees no one, he hurries inside the apartment, throws down his bags and runs into his old bedroom, slamming the door behind him. Logan cringes at the sound and stares after his old friend in concern.

A hand suddenly appears on his shoulder and squeezes affectionately.

"Don't worry. He just needs some time to adjust." Mrs. Knight tells him. Logan smiles at her and nods. But the moment she smiles and lets him go, his own smile falls away. Don't worry? How could he not?

"Mom?" A small voice from the doorway asks uncertainly. Jennifer Knight turns around and she puts on a fake smile of her own. She walks towards her son, who is still standing in the hallway, looking at their surroundings with a hint of fear. He is clutching Carlos' arm tightly, as if looking for protection from the older boy, while he just stares into nothingness.

"It's okay, sweetie. You're home now, remember?" Jennifer tells him, her heart nearly breaking at his big green eyes that so much resemble a child's. She walks closer and gently grabs his hand and leads him inside. He slowly follows her, still clutching Carlos' left side. "Come on, I'll take you to your room."

Together they shuffle towards the bedroom Kendall shared with Logan before. Kendall looks around with wide eyes, like he's there for the first time. As they walk into the room, they find Logan already unpacking his bags. He turns around when he hears them enter and things get awkward again.

Jennifer tries to pull Kendall inside, but he pulls back. He keeps his eyes on Logan, who seems a little confused. But soon he realizes Kendall is again afraid of him.

"Kendall, come on, sweetie. This is your room." Kendall mumbles something. "What?" Kendall pulls her closer and mumbles something in her ear. She pulls back and looks confused. "But, honey, he's your friend. You've shared a room together since we came here. You're best friends." Logan gasps slightly when he realizes what Kendall said. Kendall whimpers and tries to plead with his mother.

She shoots Logan a look of sympathy, seeing his look of hurt appearing.

"Logan, Kendall um…" Logan turns around.

"It's okay, Mrs. Knight. I know what he said. I'll just pack my stuff and move in with James. If he'll let me in the room that is." He puts on a fake smile to cover his hurt and puts his clothes back into his bags.

"Logan…" Jennifer starts as she walks towards him.

"It's fine, Mrs. Knight. Really." He says with a small smile and quickly grabs his bags and heads for the door. A he does, Kendall quickly hides behind Carlos. Logan swears he saw Carlos roll his eyes when Kendall hid behind him. But quickly shakes his head. Why would Carlos roll his eyes? He doesn't care about anything anymore.

He looks back for a moment, his eyes lingering on his Latino friend. Carlos didn't care or notice what was going on anymore. Did he?

He shakes his head and heads for the other bedroom. He sighs as he finds it still closed. He jiggles the door handle and finds it locked. He scowls and knocks.

"James? Open the door, it's Logan, your new roomie." He says, fake excitement dripping from his voice.

He waits for a moment, when suddenly the door swings open. James has put his disguise back on and looks behind Logan quickly.

"Did anyone see you?" he asks in a whisper. Logan rolls his eyes.

"For god's sake, James. We're the only ones here." He pushes James aside and pulls his bags with him. He puts them on Carlos' old bed and angrily unpacks.

"Um, Logan?" James suddenly asks.

"What!" Logan yells as he angrily turns around to face him. James shrinks away from him and Logan realizes what he's doing. "I… I'm sorry, James. I'm just frustrated."

"Why are you sleeping in here now?" James asks quietly.

"Because Kendall is scared of me and somehow only trusts Carlos. He told his mom he didn't want to share the room with him." Logan tells him, still mad as he practically throws his clothes onto the bed.

"Why is Kendall scared of you?" James asks in return as he starts to take off his disguise.

"I…" Logan sighs. "I'm not sure. He won't let me near him close enough to ask." Logan puts his empty bag on the floor and turns around. He nearly gasps as he sees James' chest for a moment as he changes his shirt. He tries not to stare, but can't help it when instead of seeing washboard abs, he sees all of his ribs clearly. He stares as James quickly pulls it down, oblivious to Logan seeing him.

"What?" he asks, confused as to why Logan is staring.

"I uh… James… Your chest… You lost a lot of weight…" Logan quietly tells him.

James gulps. "We all lost weight, Logan. On the count of not getting fed enough while being held captive for a year."

"No, James. We've already gained some weight. You're thinner than the day they found us…" He nearly whispers in return.

James quickly averts his gaze away from Logan and practically jumps into bed, drawing the covers over himself. Logan heads for him and sits on his bed. He tries to take away the sheets.

"James…" He starts.

"I'm fine, Logan. I just haven't had much of an appetite lately." James replies as he tries to move away from his friend.

"How long is lately?" Logan asks him, his eyes full of concern.

"Logan, I'm fine, alright. Please, I'm tired, I want to go to sleep." James announces, his voice telling him the discussion is over.

"Okay, fine. But I am watching you, James." James just sighs in annoyance and grabs the covers and pulls them over his head, turning his face towards the wall.

Logan gets up and sits on his own bed. His new bed. He looks around once more. This is what it will be like from now on. He'll be rooming with James, who seems to be hiding more than his face. Kendall is scared of him, so scared even that he doesn't want to be in the same room as him. And Carlos is in some far away place, but maybe not as far away as everyone thinks.

Logan lets himself fall onto the bed and stares at the ceiling. What will become of them? He needs to do something, being the only one still normal. Maybe he should try to start with Carlos. He doesn't know why, but there is just something telling him he is aware of everything around him. Carlos had always had a way to cheer people up, bring them out of their shells. So if he could get to the real Carlos, maybe they could all be fixed. He has to try…

**A/N So sorry guys! I really have been wanting to write, but I have been really busy with school. I'm in my last year and doing three projects at once. They all have to be handed in before the 9****th**** of January, so I've been trying to focus on that. If I pass all of them at the same time, I can start my graduation process.**

**But anyway, hope you like the new chapter. Btw, if you have any thoughts, suggestions, comments, let me know I love writing for this story, so I would love some extra inspiration **

**I'll try to update again really soon, but if I don't, I apologize in advance, since I am still really busy with school. **

**Review if you want, but I hope everyone enjoys reading my stories, even if you don't feel like reviewing **

**Thanks for all your support and until next time!**

**Love, Baxxie**


	20. Chapter 20 Futile Attempts

Chapter 20 Futile Attempts

The next day, Logan wakes up to loud yelling. He blinks heavily and slowly makes his way out of bed. He looks across the room and sees James' bed is already empty. He shuffles out and heads into the living room.

He raises his eyebrows when he watches Katie trying to push pull James out of the apartment. The brunette is holding a vice grip on the doorpost however.

"Come on, James… You haven't been outside in forever. The sun is good for you!" Katie argues as she tries to push him now, making her feet slide across the floor, but he isn't moving an inch.

"No, I don't want to go outside!" James yells. Logan sighs.

"What's going on in here?" Mrs. Knight suddenly calls out from the staircase. "Katie, what are you doing?" She exclaims in shock.

"You told me to help the guys get better. I decided to start with James." The girl exclaims. She groans as she tries to put all her weight into pushing the reluctant James out the door.

"Katie, you weren't supposed to force them…" Mrs. Knight tells her as she ascends the stairs with a loud sigh.

"But he loves the sun, he loves tanning, he needs to go outside!" Katie argues as she continues to push the brunette, who tries to fight her with all his might. He is in a complete panic state and his knuckles are white as he holds the doorway so tightly.

"No, I'm not going!" James shouts out.

"Katie, stop it!" Mrs. Knight yells. The girl tries one more time. Then she lets go and turns to her mother to say something. She opens her mouth, but then shakes her head and runs out the door. "Katie!" Jennifer yells after her daughter, but the girl is already gone. She rubs a hand over her face and then looks at James, who syill hasn't let go.

"James, honey…" She starts as she puts a hand on his shoulder.

"No, I'm not going outside, you can't make me, no one can see me, ever!" He shouts with his eyes squeezed shut as he hugs his body to one of the doorposts.

Mrs. Knight sighs loudly. "Sweetie, you can let go now. She's already gone." She softly tells the boy. He opens his eyes and looks around. He smiles sheepishly and lets go of the door. He slowly walks backwards. "I'm sorry about that, I didn't know she would do that." Mrs. Knight says without looking at him. "But you know, honey, some sun might do you some good though." She carefully suggests.

His eyes grow wide and he walks backwards. "No, no! I'm not going out there!" he says, starting to protest right away.

"Honey, all I'm saying is, you know, you used to love tanning and maybe…" She suggests, but he shakes his head in a slight panic.

"No, I can't… They can't see me like this… I'm hideous and they'll hate me… I can't go out there, I just can't!" He screams as he runs to his room. He pushes Logan out of the doorway and slams the door shut. Logan flinches at the sound and then looks at Mrs. Knight.

"I wasn't trying to force him, I just thought it might do him some good. It might do all you boys some good to go outside and see your friends…" She explains, before sighing.

"It's ok, Mrs. Knight. He'll get over it. He just needs some time." Logan tells her with a small smile. She sighs again.

"I'm just going to look for Katie, make sure she's okay. Would you mind setting the table for breakfast? We haven't eaten yet, we wanted to make sure everyone was up and get our old routine going again." She tells him. He nods.

"Sure, no problem Mrs. Knight." She nods at him and heads out the door.

He looks back at his and James' closed bedroom door, letting out a deep breath and his smile fading. He shakes his head and slowly starts to set the table.

After he's done, he looks at the clock and sighs. Noon… Before they would have never gotten up this late. Although it did feel good to finally get some sleep again. He doesn't even know how that happened. He can't remember if he dreamt at all. That's good, no nightmare. He wonders if the other guys got any sleep.

James might have, because he didn't hear him at all. But that might have been because he was sleeping like a log himself.

He sits at the table, staring across the room. He smiles a little when he remembers all the time they spent here. It hasn't changed a bit. They had so much fun in here. All until…

His smile fades as other memories sneak in. He quickly shakes them off and stands up. He heads for Kendall and Carlos' room. He opens his mouth to call their names and decides not to. He lifts his hand to knock, but drops it again in slight defeat. Why was it so hard to do this now? Was he that scared of Kendall's reaction?

He bites his lip and then decides to turn to his own room. This time he does knock right away.

"James?" He tries to open the door and finds it locked. Who came up with putting a lock on this room anyway? He smiles suddenly when he remembers. James insisted on it after Carlos walked in on him getting dressed. Sure, they had showered together after hockey practice when they were kids plenty of times. And while James gladly showed off his well toned abs to girls, he was still self conscious over the rest of his body. Needless to say, he pulled out all the stops and got his way, giving the guys some privacy if they needed it.

But Mrs. Knight started to regret it after some time, when Carlos was locked out of his room for a tenth time that month and forced to either sleep on the couch or the floor of Logan and Kendall's room. She never get round to removing it apparently, since that last warning to James came just before they were…

He shakes off the memories again and knocks, louder this time.

"James? It's Logan. Open the door." He asks, not getting a response. He starts to feel frustrated and slams the door with an open palm. "Damn it, James. Just open the door! I just want to eat breakfast together!" He yells, breathing heavier. "James!" he shouts and turns around again, feeling tears come on.

The moment he turns, he can feel someone standing behind him. He turns on his heel in anger.

"What?" He yells out and his eyes widen at the frightened Kendall who nearly jumps into Carlos' arms behind him in shock. Logan's face softens immediately. "Kendall, I-I'm sorry… I didn't know you were…" he reaches out to him, but the blonde whimpers and hides behind Carlos, tightly fisting the back of his shirt. "I'm sorry…" Logan whispers as he hangs his head and goes to sit on the couch.

Carlos turns around and heads back into the bedroom, Kendall quickly trails after him. The Latino sits on his bed, head turned towards the living room. Kendall quietly comes to sit next to him.

"So uh… Aren't you happy to be back at the Palm Woods? 'Cause I am… I mean, I like Minnesota. But it's kind of cold there, you know?" Kendall softly tells Carlos. But the boy doesn't respond. "I missed this apartment, too. It's nice. Do you remember how we got Gustavo to build it?" He says, with a small smile. "I kind of miss Gustavo and Kelly. They did great things for us. What about you?" He shyly asks, but Carlos still doesn't respond. "Car… Carlos?"

But Carlos stares into the living room. He watches Logan as he sits on the orange couch by himself. From his viewpoint he can just see how Logan's shoulders are shaking.

"C-Carlos?" Kendall asks a little louder. When he still doesn't react, the blonde slowly and hesitantly moves a shaking hand to his shoulder. The second he touches the boy, he swiftly turns to him. He flinches and puts up his arms with a gasp. "I'm sorry… I'll be quiet, I promise…" He pleads. But instead of Carlos yelling or hurting him, he suddenly feels the boy grabbing his arm and dragging him off the bed.

Kendall looks up and tries to protest, but ends up having to almost run to keep up with the Latino as he drags the blonde into the living room. His eyes widen as he suddenly finds them standing next to the couch, which now holds a sniveling Logan.

When Logan hears a whimper besides him, he looks up. He wipes his red, puffy eyes and glances at Carlos and a terrified Kendall in confusion.

He's even more confused when Carlos pushes Kendall forward, towards him. Kendall's eyes widen. He shakes his head, but Carlos suddenly grabs his shoulders and pushes him to sit on the couch, next to Logan.

When Logan turns to Carlos to ask what's going on, the boy is already hurrying for their bedroom again. He turns back to Kendall, who is looking at him with huge eyes, body trembling all over.

"Kendall…" Logan starts to say as he scoots closer to the blonde. But he stops when Kendall starts to breathe faster and scoots so far back, he nearly falls off the couch. He sighs. "I don't understand why you're so scared of me, Kendall… What did I do to make you act like this? Please, just tell me. I'm sorry, alright? For whatever it was I did…" He tries to reach out for his friend, but he jumps from the couch and runs for his bedroom door s fast as he can.

Logan can feel tears welling up once more, but he can't give up now. Carlos gave them a chance. He needs to take that chance to make things right.

He slowly walks after Kendall, who is trying to open the door frantically. But Carlos somehow manages to keep it closed. Kendall feels trapped and goes into full panic mode. He turns around and pushes his back into the door. He slides to the floor and pulls his knees to his chest and his hands over his head.

"Kendall, please… I'm not going to hurt you. You have to believe me. I would never hurt you. Kendall, look at me, please…" he pleads with the boy, but his body freezes when Logan touches him. Logan scrunches up his eyebrows and tries to stay calm. "Kendall, please…" He pleads again, his voice breaking slowly. "I didn't even do anything!" He yells out in frustration.

Kendall flinches and his eyes widen. "Please don't… I promise I'll be quiet. I'll be quiet…" He mumbles in a slight whisper. It finally dawns on Logan. He frowns as he remembers what happened in the dungeon all that time ago.

"Oh god…" He mutters as he realizes what he did. He practically blamed Kendall for everything that happened to them, just for opening his mouth. He had only tried to protect them, he had realized that right after. But he never knew or realized it had affected Kendall this much…

He squats down slowly and carefully tries to pull Kendall's arms away from his head. "Kendall, I… Please look at me…"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" Kendall mumbles. Logan now chokes back a sob when he hears the tears in his friend's voice.

"No, please… I'm sorry, Kendall… What I said… I didn't mean it, Kendall. You have to know I didn't…" He desperately tries to pull his arms away, but Kendall just cries harder and flinches with every touch.

"I'll be quiet…I'll be quiet, I promise…" He now cries louder. Logan's heart breaks at the sound of it. Tears of his own start to fall down. He tries to stop them.

"Oh god… I never meant it, Kendall… I never meant to break you… Please believe me, I hate seeing you like this… Kendall please…" Logan pleads with sobs of his own, when suddenly the bedroom door opens. Logan looks up and sees Carlos staring at both of them.

"I'm sorry… I tried… I didn't mean what I said to him, Carlos… I just, oh god, I didn't mean it…" He sobs on the floor. The moment Kendall notices the door is open, he shoots up and runs inside the bedroom. Carlos stands in the doorway, still watching Logan. "I broke him… No wonder he's scared of me, after what I said to him… But I really didn't mean it, Carlos, you believe me, right?" Carlos just stares at him with a dark expression.

Logan shakes his head. "All this time I had no idea… I did this…" He whispers. Then he looks at Carlos a final time, before getting up and running into the bathroom and locking the door behind him.

Carlos stands alone in the open doorway for a moment. He sighs, rolls his eyes and then closes his own door as well.

**A/N yeah, so this is why I really shouldn't start any new stories while already writing a couple… I neglect my old ones. Sorry about that!**

**It's not very long, but I hope you like it anyway **

**I am so looking forward to Big Time Rush movie, you have no idea (no pun intended)! Having these four sexy men performing as my other Fab Four, it is going to be so amazing. Already love the songs and the previews are hilarious. The humor is so simple, making it so funny :P**

**Everyone have a good week! I'll try to update all my stories again soon and reply all the reviews as well. Sorry about that once again, I'm not very organized, trying to work out a system to keep up with the replies and such. But thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your support It always puts a smile on my face, even on bad days, so thank you all!**

**Love, Baxxie**

**PS. Working on my first BTR vids right now Gathering material for a Cargan vid and a fun Carlos one, hoping to upload them soon. And if you want to talk to me personally, remember: PM or find me on tumblr as Baxxie ;)**


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